Precious Humanity
by Charlie'sLostVampire
Summary: Everyone has moved on from the terrible experiences that the students of Mystic Falls high school had. Everyone except for Elena. What will happen when she feels that everyone in her life has abandoned her? Everyone...but Damon?
1. Sollievo Means Relief

Mystic Falls had been quiet for years. No "animal attacks", no missing people, no rapidly rising death toll.

No daily death threats to a certain Miss Elena Gilbert.

But to her confusion Elena missed it. The one thing she had craved most, normalcy, left a gaping hole inside of her. She desperately missed the feeling of being protected. It had made her feel wanted and, as selfish as it may seem, important. But ever since Klaus had moved on from making hybrids… she had lost any importance she once had in the supernatural world. Who would have ever imagined the person who drew the attention of Klaus away from her would be none other than Caroline Forbes?

Caroline had convinced Klaus that the only reason he so desperately wanted to make an army of hybrids was because he was lonely. She had also convinced him that, if he had her, he didn't need to be lonely. All he had to do was release his family members from their daggered slumbers, make amends, and move on. Which to everyone but Caroline's surprise, he did.

But, if Elena hadn't been expecting that, she never in a million years would have guessed what would come of it. Everyone in the Original family had left town once undaggered, Klaus waiting for Caroline to finish high school so that she could go with him and "See the world she was destined to see.". Yes, the world's oldest vampire family had moved on… all but one.

Of course, spunky little Rebekah had "Come to love Mystic Falls so much that she simply couldn't bear to leave." More like "Wherever Stefan was, she was staying."

Elena never would have seen it coming. Not in a million years did she expect Stefan to fall in love with Rebekah again. Never did she expect him to remember how things used to be, and decide to continue with his old ways and leave town with his blonde tag along.

Never did Elena Gilbert expect to be abandoned and completely forgotten about. No Klaus, no Caroline, no Stefan… what was she to do with herself?

Of course, there was still Damon. Damon who she cared for immensely, but could hardly stand to be around lately due to the fact that being with him only seemed to remind her of all that she had lost.

She knew her behavior was killing him. The way that one second she would be attached to him at the hip, and the next she was avoiding him entirely. She knew that Damon Salvatore was in love with her, and wanted more than anything for her to love him too. Elena was beginning to think she did. Of all of the people she knew, Damon was the only one who had really stuck around after Klaus left. Bonnie had moved in with her mother after she graduated to learn more about the ways of a witch, and Jeremy was still in Denver. Matt had moved to Washington to play for a college football team on a scholarship, and Ric had moved out a few months after graduation, having received word of a position in a town that happened to have a problem with animal attacks. That only left Tyler Lockwood, whom she had never been that close with to begin with.

Damon was the only person left who Elena could talk to. Literally the only person. Her friends were gone; her family was either somewhere else or dead. Noticing how lonely Elena had become, Damon had done something very un-Damon-like; he got Elena a kitten. An absolutely adorable, fluffy black kitten with big blue eyes. Together they had decided to call him Sollievo, which meant "relief" in Italian. Secretly, when no one else was around, Elena liked to call him Damon, just because the soft black fur and blue eyes made the cat practically his animal clone. Not only in looks, though; the small little ball of fur absolutely adored Elena, and had never even once harmed her; instead, it took out its habit of biting people on anyone else who came to call. If that didn't make the kitten worthy of the name Damon, she wasn't sure what did.

After a few months of reeling Damon further in, only to push him away when the painful memories resurfaced, Elena finally decided it was time to move on from the past. She cared about Damon. She _loved _Damon. It was about time she started showing it.

For close to a month Elena had hardly left her house, not answering her phone when anyone called. She had been thankful that Damon hadn't come over; she wasn't sure what she may have said if he had. Something she would later regret, she was sure. Late one night, close to the end of February, Elena was lying in her bed in the large, empty Gilbert house with Sollievo curled up against the crook of her neck, purring pleasantly. It was pouring outside, claps of thunder and bursts of bright lightning making her nervous. She had never been afraid of storms. In fact, she used to love them. But now they only reminded her of how lonely it was, in this big house with only one person she could call out to. One person who lived on the other side of town who, most likely, wouldn't hear her startled yelps. Then again, you never really knew with Damon. Sometimes she wondered if he was so attuned to her that he really could hear her voice cry out from that far away.

At that moment, she longed for nothing more than for the John Varvatos clad vampire to hold her tightly and whisper soft words of adoration in her ear. To make her feel wanted; to make her feel important again.

She reached across her bed and grabbed her cellphone from her bedside table, touching the touch screen and wincing when the brightness hurt her eyes in the dark room. She scrolled through her text messages first.

**Caroline Forbes: Elena! You will never guess where I am. FREAKING PARIS!- 3 days ago**

** Damon Salvatore: Are you okay? You've been dodging my calls all week.- 3 days ago**

** Bonnie Bennett: It amazes me how much I didn't know about magic… maybe we should have found my mom sooner. ;)- 3 days ago**

** Damon Salvatore: Elena? Did I do something to upset you? Why won't you answer me?- 2 days ago**

** Matt Donovan: Hey! Just scored the winning point in the finals tonight; the team brought home gold. Awesome right? How are you?-2 days ago**

** Damon Salvatore: Elena, I'm sorry. Please answer?-2 days ago**

** Alaric Saltzman: Rochester is crawling with vampires. Damon told you they couldn't procreate… is he sure?-1 day ago**

** Damon Salvatore: Elena?-12 hours ago**

** Jeremy Gilbert: Hey, sis! Quick question; what do eighteen year old girls like for birthday presents?- 7 hours ago**

** Damon Salvatore: I'm guessing you want to be left alone… sorry for bothering you. If you want to talk, you know where I am.- 5 hours ago**

Elena heaved a sigh as she looked at all the messages she had failed to answer. Her friends hadn't _really _forgotten about her. They still messaged her everyday about how their lives were. It wasn't their fault that she was the only one who hadn't moved on from their disastrous high school lives.

Elena felt horrible about not answering them, Damon most of all. He was obviously worried about her, and it only made him feel worse when she ignored him. Punching in his cellphone number, she waited for him to answer. When he didn't, she felt her heart sink. She supposed she deserved to be ignored. After a few rings, it went to voicemail. "_Damon Salvatore; obviously I can't, or just don't want to take your call. Leave a message and I… might get back to you. It all depends on who you are, and why the hell you're calling me." _

She couldn't help grinning at his witty voicemail; typical Damon. The beep sounded in her ear, and she left her message. "Hey, it's me… Elena. Look, I'm sorry I haven't been answering your calls or messages… I've been acting so stupid and horrible lately, and you don't deserve that. If you don't want to, I completely understand, but I was sort of hoping that you would come over. I know it's late… or I guess it's technically early, but I can't get to sleep. I miss you. I'm sorry for bothering you… bye."

She hung up, and fell back into her pillows with a moan. That had been so lame. A pathetic apology and a "Sorry for bothering you"?

Sollievo mewed in complaint, nuzzling at the side of her face. She gazed into his shiny blue eyes, which glittered in the darkness, and sighed, running her fingers through his downy fur. "Oh, Damon…"

The kitten purred in response, nuzzling closer. Elena jumped when her phone chimed, signaling a new text message. She grabbed it again and glanced at the message.

**Damon Salvatore: Sorry I missed your call; shower. Want me to come over now?- 13 seconds ago**

Elena felt her heart flutter, and she quickly typed her response.

**You don't mind? I understand if you don't want to.**

She waited a few seconds for his response, which came faster than she expected.

**Damon Salvatore: Why wouldn't I want to? You said you miss me. ;) I miss you, too. Be right over, K?- 4 seconds ago**

A blissful smile found its way to Elena's lips and she typed two words in response.

**Thank you.**


	2. A Dark Past With a Bright Future

Elena had gone downstairs, and was making coffee while Sollievo twisted around her ankles, purring, when the car pulled up in front of her house. With most people, she would have been self-conscious about being in her shorts-and-tank top PJs, but she knew Damon wouldn't care. After all, it was 2:30 in the morning.

He knocked on the front door, and she shouted "It's open!" while stirring the milk into her coffee.

Damon opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind him. He grinned as he leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen. "You know, for someone who told me she couldn't sleep, caffeine probably isn't the best solution."

"I've given up on all hope of sleeping. I haven't really slept in nearly a month."

Damon's grin faded to a frown of concern. "Why not?"

She shrugged. "I just… can't. I don't really know why…"

He walked over to her and took to coffee from her hands.

"Hey!" she objected in irritation when he poured it down the drain. She then squealed in shock when he picked her up and started carrying her out of the kitchen and toward the stairs. "What are you doing?"

"Taking you back upstairs and to your bed before you drink any more caffeinated beverages that make it impossible to sleep at all."

"Damon, I don't want to sleep!" she complained as he opened her bedroom door with his toe and carried her inside.

"Does it look like I care if you want to or not?"

He sat her on her feet and plopped onto the bed, crossing his arms over his chest. He glanced at the spot next to him, and then back at Elena. "Well?"

She rolled her eyes but walked over and crawled back under the blankets, looking at him lying beside her. His expression was the definition of cocky. "You're impossible."

He grinned. "If you say so."

She heaved a sigh. "I already told you I can't sleep. How is making me go to bed going to make a difference?"

He grinned. "I can talk to you about the most boring topics in existence, and bore you to sleep."

She raised an eyebrow. "_That _is your master plan?"

"Elena, I lived through three wars and the Great Depression. I could give you the most boring history lesson in the world." He grinned. "Well, maybe not as boring as Ric…"

She grinned and rolled onto her side so she could look at him. "Well, if you have such a rich history, why bore me? Why don't you tell me something interesting?"

He raised an eyebrow, and then shrugged. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything. Anything about your past. I know so much about Stefan's, but I hardly know anything about you after you turned into a vampire in 1864."

He shrugged. "My life really hasn't been that interesting… numerous bad hairstyles that I seriously regret today, too many girls whose names I don't remember, a few failed attempts at ruining Stefan's life, and, of course, the leather pants stage back in the eighties…"

Elena raised an eyebrow. "_You _had bad hair? _Damon Salvatore _had bad hair?"

He grinned, stretching his arms behind his head as he settled into her pillows. "The seventies were pretty bad; I had this weird greased back comb over kind of thing going on… and of course, back in the 1890's, I had really long, girly hair…" he grinned at her, "Kind of like yours, actually."

Elena laughed, and then grinned at him. "Leather pants, huh?"

"Oh, God…" he moaned, squeezing his eyes shut. "Do not remind me of those. Leather should never be made into anything but jackets. _Ever._"

She giggled. "Were they really that bad?"

"Oh, they were horrible. I mean, I looked amazing in them, but they felt… _bad._"

She grinned. "Typical; you just have to be cocky, don't you?"

"What? I _did _look good in leather pants."

"Of course you did…"

"You don't believe me? I'll have to prove it sometime."

"Do you still have them?"

"Somewhere, I'm sure. You don't just get rid of a genuine pair of leather pants, Elena."

"Oh? What do you do with them?"

"If you're smart, you burn them and enjoy watching them melt. If you're stupid, like me, you leave them in the attic of the boarding house in Mystic Falls and try to pretend they never existed."

Elena grinned. She was most definitely finding those pants.

"So… are you going to tell me a story?"

He sighed and stretched out more comfortably, relaxing. "Pick an era, any era."

"Hm…" she considered, and then smiled softly. "What about when you were human? Before you ever met Katherine? What was human Damon Salvatore like? You said I would have liked him."

"That's because you would have. I was… a better man back then." He seemed reminiscent, and she moved closer to him, prepared to listen. "Tell me about it."

"Well, right up until I met Katherine I was in the Confederate Army during the civil war. I hated it. Ironically enough, I hated killing innocent people. But my father pressured me into doing it, claiming that I had to do at least one thing in my life that would please him. Since I refused to marry, it was off to war with me."

Elena frowned. "Why did you refuse to marry?"

"Elena, you obviously never met the young female population of 19th century Mystic Falls."

"Obviously. What was wrong with them?"

"They were just all so… typical. All dresses and no sense of adventure. When I finally married, I wanted it to be for love, not to please my father. I also wanted to see the world, but the girls I knew would have none of that. They would rather waste away their lives on a boring Virginia plantation."

"Which is why Katherine was so appealing to you."

"Well…" Damon said, completely honestly, "Yes. She was… different. Interesting and fun. Everything all the girls I knew weren't."

Sensing that mentioning the "K" word was sending their conversation in a dangerous direction, Damon fell silent and played with a lock of Elena's hair.

"Damon?" Elena suddenly asked, curiosity winning her over.

"Mm?" he asked.

"What was… your mother like?"

Damon's hand froze on Elena's head, and she knew she shouldn't have said that. Obviously neither Salvatore brother talked of the late Mrs. Salvatore for a reason; a reason she probably shouldn't have brought up without warning. But there it was, hanging out in the open, testing Damon's reaction of a topic he hadn't spoken of in decades. "My mother?" he finally asked.

"Yeah. Do you… want to talk about her? I mean, I know your father was a first rate jack ass…"

Damon laughed. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

"You did say it yourself. I asked you a few weeks ago and you said he was a first rate jack ass."

He laughed again, and then trailed off into a sigh. "You really want to know? About my mother?"

"Only if you want to talk about her."

He resumed playing with her hair, and she turned her face up to look at him.

"She was beautiful. Where Stefan always looked more like our father, I was the spitting image of my mother. She had the exact same black hair and blue eyes, not to mention the rebellious attitude and lack of regard for anything my father said. If you ask me, it's her fault I turned out so terrible." He chuckled. "She was a terrible influence. But… she died before she could have much of an impact of Stefan."

His face turned to one of clear mourning, and Elena reached up and gently stroked his cheek. "What happened to her?"

"Well, I told you she was rebellious… and she also had no fear. It was after dark one night, and she realized that she had forgotten her new silk gloves out by the flower beds. I was nine when it happened, and Stefan was only three. She had just tucked us both into bed, and then decided to rush outside and back again before anyone could catch her. I used to love it when she did things my father wouldn't like… it was always funny to know how little he really knew about my mother's attitude. So, I snuck out of bed again and crept over my window to… to watch her."

Elena could tell he was getting upset. Obviously he was drawing out a terrible memory that he preferred to keep under permanent lock and key. "Damon, you don't have to tell me…"

But he continued to talk. "She snuck through the gardens outside my window and over to the flower beds by the road. But there was… there was a _man_…"

Damon squeezed his eyes shut, and Elena grabbed his hand. "Damon, it's okay. You really don't have to…"

"Yes, I do, Elena. I need to tell someone…" he took a shaky deep breath and opened his eyes again. "I watched him grab her from behind, and I had been screaming at her to run, but she didn't hear me… God, Elena, he _grabbed _her… and he touched her… I was only nine, and I wanted to kill him. I tried to run out my bedroom door to help her, but they always kept it locked during the night, because I used to sneak around the house after everyone was asleep… I was trying to get the door open when I heard her scream. I ran back to my window and saw the man pinning her to the ground, slashing at her dress with some kind of knife… he hurt her. He…" he drew in another breath, fighting back tears. "Elena, he raped her. Then he stabbed her and left her to die. My father had been away on a stupid business trip, so I was the only one who knew anything was happening. My nanny, Elsa, finally heard my screaming for help after nearly twenty minutes and came and unlocked my door. I ran past her and down the stairs, outside to my mother, and Elsa followed me, yelling at me to get back in bed. She was horrified when she saw what had happened, and called one of the servants to go to town for help, but she knew it would be too late by the time anyone came. My mother was dying in front of my eyes… and she told me she was sorry. That she was sorry for letting me see it happen to her… and that even if we weren't together anymore, she would always love me. She… she gave me her locket, and kissed my cheek before she… died. But, believe it or not, the worst part of it all wasn't that she died. It was when my father came home and found out. He beat me within an inch of my life for _letting it happen to her. He told me I was a miserable excuse for a son, and that I had failed my mother._"

Elena was scandalized. "No!" she gasped. "No, he couldn't say that! There was nothing you could do!"

Damon shut his eyes again and leaned into her pillows, fiercely fighting back tears. He refused to cry. Not in front of Elena. Not over something that happened over 150 years ago!

"Can we talk about something else? Please?" he asked, and his voice was hoarse.

"Of course." She said, feeling awful for bringing up such a painful subject. "Anything."

Damon's eyes snapped open when something fell on top of his feet; Sollievo. He sighed and gave a small smile. The past was the past. There was nothing he could do about it, as much as he would love to try. So, instead, he would make the best of the future. He sat up and reached for the kitten, scratching behind his tiny ears. The kitten purred, and then suddenly latched onto Damon's hand with his tiny white teeth. Damon frowned, pulling his finger gently from its mouth. "He doesn't do that to you, does he?" Damon asked, turning to Elena.

She shook her head and picked up the kitten, which purred contently and curled up in her lap, shutting his big blue eyes. "Nope… he bites everyone else but me."

Elena giggled at the statement, and Damon frowned in confusion. "What's so funny?" he asked.

She grinned. "You promise you won't make fun of me?"

"Of course I won't make fun of you."

"Well… I like to call him Damon sometimes. You know, because, while he can be completely vicious and unpleasant to anyone else, he's always perfectly sweet to me. That and because his fur and eyes are practically your exact copy."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "You missed me so much that you started comparing me to your kitten?"

She shrugged, and suddenly felt guilty again, reminded of all the text messages he had sent her that she had failed to answer. "Damon, I'm sorry. I've been awful the past month, and I should have never ignored you like that. I guess I just feel like everyone but me has… moved on with their lives. Yet, here I am, all alone in this big empty house in the ghost town that is Mystic Falls."

"Not exactly; if it was a ghost town, we'd still be having Mason Lockwood and Anna problems."

She smacked his arm. "You know what I mean."

"Oh, of course I do." He said, pulling her into his lap and stroking her arm. "But not everyone up and left you, you know. I stuck around."

She smiled at him. "Yes, you did. Thank you for that."

He grinned and did his classic Damon Salvatore "eye thing." "You're welcome."

Elena sighed contently, laying her head on his chest and closing her eyes as he trailed his fingers up and down her spine, causing her to shiver. "Damon?" she asked quietly, opening her eyes and staring at her wall in the darkness.

"What is it?" he asked her, and she turned her eyes up to look at him.

"Why do you think Stefan left me for Rebekah?"

Damon frowned; he hated his brother for breaking Elena's heart. If the bastard hadn't skipped town, he would have killed him. "Because he's an asshole, and obviously blind if he couldn't tell what the better choice was."

Elena sniffled. "But… what if she… she was the better choice…?"

Damon frowned at her. "Why would you even think that?"

"Well, she supports who he wants to be, and she's… she's _gorgeous_…"

"And she's a bitch, Elena! If that's the kind of person Stefan wants to be with, so be it. He obviously never deserved you in the first place."

A tear trailed down her cheek. "But _why? _What does she have that I don't…?"

Damon stroked her cheek, wiping away her tears and shaking his head. "Nothing. Rebekah has absolutely nothing on you. Understand? _Nothing._"

She drew in a shaky breath and shut her eyes again. "I just wish… I wish he had at least had the decency to tell me instead of just leaving with her…"

Damon glared at the wall as he held her tightly. "There is nothing decent left in Stefan."

Elena sniffled again, pressing her cheek against his chest. "Damon… why did you stay? Everyone else left… and the town doesn't need to be protected anymore… even _Alaric _left."

Damon sighed. "You already know the answer, to that question, Elena."

"Do I?" she whispered, suddenly needing to hear him say it more than ever before.

He frowned in confusion, tilting her chin up to look at him. "Where is this coming from?"

Her lip trembled. "I… I don't know… oh, I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize…" he said, holding her close. "You know I stayed because I care about you. But, just because everyone left doesn't mean they don't care about you, too. You're friends love you, but they had important opportunities in other places that they couldn't just pass up. They were never going to get any of those chances in Mystic Falls."

"But what about you? Don't you have something important, too?" she asked.

Damon grinned and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Yes, I do. You."

A small smile pulled at Elena's lips. "Thank you."

"Any time, princess."

Elena sighed and leaned into him, shutting her eyes again. "I'm glad you came…" she whispered, and he grinned, kissing her forehead.

"Do you honestly think I would pass up a chance to snuggle with you?"

She giggled, and burst into a louder fit of giggles when he tickled her under her arms. "Oh, stop…! Stop…Damon…!" she squealed, falling onto the bed and attempting to get away from his fingers. Obviously, it was a wasted effort.

Damon grinned at her beneath him and stopped tickling her. She breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you." She said, and giggled again.

Damon grinned and caressed her cheek, gently running his fingers over her lips. Her eyes fluttered as she gazed up at him.

"You have no idea how much I want to kiss you…" he said quietly, almost mournfully, knowing that she didn't want to be pushed into anything.

But Elena was finished putting things off; finished hiding her feelings. "Then kiss me." She whispered, and Damon smiled.

"Really?"

She nodded, and Damon bit his lip. "Elena, you don't have to…"

"Oh, for the love of…" Elena muttered, reaching up and pulling his face down to hers, taking his lips in her own.

Damon kissed her back the second their lips touched, and Elena ran her fingers through his silky black hair. She shivered when his hands trailed down her arms and his fingers locked through her own. He pulled away to let her breathe after a few moments, choosing to instead place tiny kisses down her neck and along her collar bone. Elena sighed, breathing rapidly. "Damon…" she whispered.

"Mm…?" he asked as he continued to kiss her.

"I love you."

He froze and slowly looked up at her. "…you…?"

She smiled and looked into his bright blue eyes. "I love you, Damon." She repeated, and he beamed. "I love you more." He assured her, before taking her lips in his own once again.


	3. Cinnamon and Honey

Sunlight streamed through the sheer white curtains of Elena's bedroom the next morning, hitting her face. Reflexively, she rolled over away from the light, coming in contact with something solid. For a moment she frowned in confusion, but then she smiled.

_Damon._

She opened her eyes and grinned when she realized that he had fallen asleep with her last night. His arms were wrapped around her protectively, his black John Varvatos button down shirt was wrinkled, and his hair was rumpled in a way that made her giggle. As soon as she made a noise, she noticed the smile faintly pulling at his lips. Obviously he was awake, and pretending not to be.

"Good morning, Mr. Salvatore." She said, grinning as she rolled over so that her stomach was resting on top of his.

He didn't respond; he simply buried his face deeper in her pillow.

She grinned. "Your shirt is wrinkled."

Still no response from him. She grinned; two could play at that game.

She sighed theatrically. "I guess I'll just have to go get a shower, all alone…"

She shifted away from him, a bit surprised when his arms didn't hold her back in protest, and started to slide off the bed. She gasped and burst into a fit of giggles when Damon grabbed her hand and with a speed only a vampire could manage had her pinned beneath him on the bed, his eyes glimmering mischievously. "Are you inviting me to take a shower with you, Miss Gilbert?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows at her.

She grinned. "I thought that might wake you up."

He pouted, looking disappointed. "Darn; I thought you were serious…"

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling. "Thank you for staying with me last night. It was very sweet of you to come."

He shrugged and grinned. "My efforts were rewarded rather nicely. I got some much desired," he nuzzled playfully at her neck, "Elena time."

She giggled, and sighed when he began placing kisses along her throat and up to her temple, continuously kissing the tender skin beneath her ear. Her eyes fluttered shut in contentment. "Damon…" she whispered and he chuckled.

He moved down and kissed her lips softly, leaning his forehead against hers and smiling when he pulled away. "I forgot to say good morning."

She smiled up at him. "I'm not going to complain; that was just as pleasant of a wakeup call."

He grinned. "Now, about that shower…"

She playfully smacked his arm. "I was joking. I do need to take a shower, but you're just going to have to calm your hormones enough to let me do it alone."

He rolled onto his back, allowing her to stand up and walk across the room to her dresser. Grinning at the familiar scene, Damon grabbed her teddy bear and began to absentmindedly toy with it as he watched her. "I'm 147 years old, Elena; my hormones are completely in check. Yours, however, are a completely different story."

She raised an eyebrow as she pulled out a white blouse and pair of blue jeans from her dresser. "Just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, really." He said, standing up and walking over to stand beside her, opening her top drawer and grinning as he pulled out a lacy pair or red underwear. "I just thought you should know that I can help you… put them to good use." He said, winking as pulled back on the elastic band and sent the panties flying across the room.

Elena rolled her eyes. "For a 147 year old vampire, your maturity level certainly doesn't show it."

He grinned when she started for the door and beat her to it, blocking her exit. "That wasn't a no, Miss Gilbert."

"No, it wasn't." she said, and ducked under his arm and out the door, leaving him slightly dazed behind her.

VvvvV

Elena stepped out of the shower and wrapped a thick, white towel around herself, grabbing for her hairbrush on the bathroom counter. She was brushing out her wet hair when the scent wafted into her nose. She grinned; Damon was making breakfast. If there was one thing that Damon Salvatore was good at that tromped the rest, it was his cooking skills. The man could make chilli that would make the people at the Lockwood parties completely forget about Mrs. Fell's secret recipe, not to mention he could bake a chocolate cake that was the pure definition of bliss. Right now, if her nose was correct, he was making waffles that were to die for; cinnamon and honey mixed into the batter and cooked to perfection only Damon seemed capable of. Pair that up with the best syrup and butter money could buy, courtesy of him for occasions such as this, and you had a true Mystic Falls delicacy.

Quickly dressing and drying her wet hair, she put on her makeup and rushed downstairs and into the kitchen, beaming when the scent hit her full on. "Mm…" she muttered as she walked in.

Damon was standing at the oven, finishing up when she entered. He flipped the waffles onto her plate and shut the oven off, grinning as he finished adding the butter and syrup. "Cinnamon-honey waffles; your favorite."

He placed the plate on the table and wrapped his arms around her waist before she could set down, drawing her close to him. "Don't I get a little thank you?" he asked, pouting and she grinned standing on her tip-toes to kiss his lips. "Mm…" she muttered against his lips, smiling when she pulled away. "You tested them, didn't you?"

He grinned. "How did you guess?"

"You taste like cinnamon and honey."

He laughed and pulled out her chair for her and she sat down, digging into her waffle.

Damon walked across the kitchen and glanced out the window at the sunny summer morning, grinning at the idea that was already forming in his head. "Do you have plans for today?" he asked her.

She laughed with no humor. "And who would I have plans with? You're the only person in town who I spend any time with."

She jumped, but then smiled when Sollievo pounced into her lap, purring as he nuzzled against her stomach, mewing. "Other than you, Sollievo." She assured him, scratching his ears. "Oh; Damon?"

"Mm?" he asked as he was finishing up putting the dishes in the dishwasher.

"Would you mind feeding him?" she asked, and the fluffy little kitten instinctively jumped down at the mention of food, prancing over and rubbing up against Damon's leg.

"Actually, I can't stay." He said, bending down and scratching the kitten's ears.

"Oh." Elena said, seeming disappointed. Damon grinned. "Don't worry," he assured her, "I'll be back this afternoon; we have plans, remember?"

Elena smiled softly when he bent down and kissed her forehead. "Okay. What time?"

Damon grinned as he started for the door. "I'll surprise you."

She frowned. "Well, what are we doing?" she called after him as he opened the door.

"I'll surprise you!" I called again before shutting the door behind him.

Elena sighed, slumping in her seat. "Looks like it's just you and me again for a while, little guy." Elena said when Sollievo walked back over to brush up against her leg.

"Come on; let's get you some breakfast, too…"


	4. Surprises All Around

It was nearing sunset when Damon finally arrived back at Elena's house. She was lounging on the couch with Sollievo, flicking through TV channels when she heard him knock on the door. She glanced at the clock and frowned; 6:30pm. When he had said he would be back later, she didn't think he had meant _seven hours _later. Sighing she stood up and started for the door.

He was grinning when she opened it.

"You're late." She frowned.

"Technically not," he grinned. "I never said what time I would be over."

She clearly wasn't impressed. "I've been waiting for seven hours, Damon…!"

She squealed when he suddenly swept her up into his arms, carrying her out of the house, shutting the door and starting for his car in the orange light of the sunset.

"Believe me, sweetheart," he assured her as he placed her in the passenger seat, "This is going to be worth the wait."

She sighed, folding her arms across her chest. "It had better be. I've been all alone all day…"

He leaned over and kissed her lips softly, smiling when he pulled away. "Can you ever forgive me?"

She was clearly trying not to smile. "I suppose that all depends on what this surprise is."

He laughed and shut her door, getting in the driver's seat and starting the car. "I can promise that you're going to love it."

Elena raised an eyebrow, wondering just what Damon was positive that she would love.

VvvvV

"Alright, no peaking…"

Elena grinned. "I couldn't peak even if I wanted to! I can't see through your hands!"

Damon had pulled over of the side of the road quite randomly after about a half hour of driving, telling her they had to walk the rest of the way, but that she couldn't look, so he would lead her. Of course, Elena's already growing curiosity had spiked even more at this odd request, but she had agreed, wanting to find out just what it was that he had in store for her. After around seven minutes of walking under Damon's guidance, he halted. Immediately, the scent of roses wafted into her nose. "Can I look yet?" she asked, and Damon grinned. "One…two…three."

He slid his hands away from her eyes and down to her shoulders, and her eyes widened at the sight before her. In the middle of an absolutely gorgeous clearing was a blanket spread out, covered in rose petals, with a picnic basket waiting for them. Of course, Elena was finding it hard to believe it had taken Damon seven hours to do, unless he picked the roses himself, but it was an incredibly sweet gesture all the same.

"What's all this?" she giggled, beaming up at him.

He grinned and kissed her cheek. "I thought we could have a nice sunset picnic, and then spend the night out here, stargazing."

She grinned. "Romantic."

"Mm… I thought so." He said, nuzzling gently at her neck.

She giggled as he led her toward the blanket and they sat down. "What did you bring?" she asked.

"You're typical most romantic food," he grinned, opening the basket and pulling something out. "Chocolate covered strawberries."

"Ooh…" Elena grinned as he leaned over, feeding her one. "Mm…"

Damon grinned. "Good?"

"Obviously," she giggled.

They continued to eat the strawberries until the sun was completely gone, being replaced by thousands of twinkling stars overhead. Elena lay down on the blanket, and smiled when Damon lit several candles around the blanket and then moved to lie down beside her. "Do you realize how beautiful you are?" he whispered, brushing he cheek gently with his fingertips.

She shut her eyes and leaned into his touch. "Well, you seem to frequently realize it enough for the both of us."

He chuckled and leaned over, softly kissing her lips. Elena kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and deepening it. She squealed, bursting into a peal of giggles when he rolled on top of her and began to kiss his way down her neck, growling and playfully nuzzling her. Elena, becoming a bit annoyed with his delaying, pulled his lips back to hers and began to unbutton his shirt.

"Mm… wait." He muttered against her lips, pulling away.

She pouted. "Why? You couldn't have possibly brought me out here just to _look at the stars…_?"

He grinned. "No, I didn't. I brought you out here to give you your surprise."

She frowned in confusion. "I thought this was my surprise?"

His grin widened. "You can come out!" he called, and Elena's frown deepened. "What are you talking about…?"

Her eyes widened when Damon moved to sit beside her. "Oh, my God!" she cried, jumping up in shock.

"Elena!"

She was hit with astonishing force as a group of people ambushed her, hugging her and laughing. Bonnie, Caroline, and Matt were all hugging her and talking over each other, with Elena, beaming, in the center of it all. "What are you guys doing here?" she cried.

Matt grinned. "Damon called us last night and told us how much you missed us. We were all just waiting for an excuse to rush home and see you…"

"Seeing as though you haven't been answering our texts," Caroline said, frowning as she backed up to give Elena some room, as did Matt and Bonnie. "I'm considering not giving you your present from Paris just for you ignoring me…"

Elena's eyes widened. "You brought me something… from _Paris?_"

"Obviously," Caroline gushed, smiling full on again. "What kind of a friend would I be if I went all the way to France and didn't bring you all back extravagant gifts?"

Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "And just how extravagant are we talking?"

"Well," Klaus stepped forward, "I happen to have paid for them, so price really wasn't an issue…"

Bonnie, Elena and Matt's eyes all widened at the mention of "Price not being an issue." If that was the case, and Caroline was on a shopping spree in Paris…

"You didn't buy me an entire store, did you?" Elena asked, suddenly a bit nervous.

"As tempted as I was, no. Come on, we left them back at your house, Elena!" Caroline was gone in a flash, and Elena sighed, raising an eyebrow at Damon. He grinned. "We can finish our picnic some other night."

She smiled and walked over, taking his hand as he stood up. "Thank you."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "You're welcome."

VvvvV

"Open them! Hurry, hurry, hurry," Caroline squealed, bouncing up and down on Elena's couch beside Klaus as the other four sat in front of their large boxes and gift bags. Damon was a bit surprised that he had received a gift from Caroline, but grateful just the same. "Bonnie first," Caroline insisted.

Bonnie raised an eyebrow but shrugged, pulling the tissue paper out of her gift bag. "Oh, wow…" Bonnie said with her eyes wide as she pulled out a rather extravagant diamond and garnet pendant. "It's… beautiful, Care." She didn't want to know how expensive it had been.

Caroline beamed. "We were walking through the biggest jewellery store in France, and it positively screamed you. Plus, I thought, since it's a crystal, it might have some kind of witchy power harnessing thing…"

Bonnie smiled and hugged Caroline. "It's perfect. I don't know how to thank you."

Caroline grinned. "You can thank me by wearing it more often than _on special occasions _like my mom is insisting on wearing the bracelet I got her…"

Bonnie nodded. "I promise."

"Good. Open yours now, Matty!" Caroline said, grinning.

Matt opened his box, and looked a bit confused. "This is… a great picture of a car, Care."

Caroline laughed. "It's not just a picture, Matt."

Matt grew even more confused, and then he dropped the picture in shock as realization dawned on him. "You didn't. You _didn't…!_"

Caroline giggled and Klaus pulled a set of keys out of his jacket pocket. Matt looked like he had stopped breathing. "You bought me a _car…?_"

Caroline nodded. "We both thought you could use a new one; that pickup truck has seen better days, and living in the capital of our country kind of calls for you to have a sports car…"

Matt jumped up and ran over, hugging Caroline and spinning her around. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He looked at Klaus, his eyes sincere. "_Thank you._"

Klaus shrugged and Caroline laughed, returning Matt's hug. "You're welcome. You've worked so hard the past few years; you deserve it."

Matt grinned and backed up, and Caroline looked at Damon and Elena, her eyes glinting with excitement. "You two need to open yours together."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Caroline rolled her eyes as if it should be obvious. "Because the go together, duh!"

Elena glanced at Damon. He shrugged and picked up the large box Caroline had placed in front of him. Elena did the same, and they both ripped off the paper and opened their boxes. They looked at each other and Damon raised an eyebrow as they both pulled out identical keys. Damon glanced at Caroline. "Did you buy us a car, too?"

Caroline giggled. "Nope." She glanced at Klaus. "You should tell them; it was your idea."

He grinned at the confused pair in front of them. "Well, while we were in France, Caroline and I decided to buy a villa, and it's really quite amazing, but we won't be using it anymore…"

"We're going to Italy after we finish up here," Caroline added in, beaming.

"So, since we no longer require it… we've decided to give it to the two of you."

Elena's eyes widened, and Damon looked shocked.

"You're giving us… a _house?_" Elena gasped.

"A mansion." Caroline corrected, grinning. "With cobblestone pathways, a rose garden, a marble in ground pool and hot tub, not to mention the entire house is made from beige sandstone; it's gorgeous!" She grinned wider. "And now it's all yours!"

Damon and Elena were obviously speechless. Klaus grinned at Caroline. "I told you they would be shocked."

"Care… this is too much…" Elena protested feebly.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Can't you just thank me and accept it?"

Elena smiled and rushed up to her friend. "Thank you!"

Later that night, while the girls were up in Elena's room, gossiping and catching up, Klaus pulled Damon aside when Matt went to the bathroom. "I got you a little gift of my own, too."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Klaus grinned. "You'll thank me when you see it, believe me."

Damon frowned in confusion. "What is it?"

Klaus chuckled. "Let's just say, Elena's going to look ravishing in it."

A grin pulled at Damon's lips; maybe Klaus wasn't such a bad guy, after all…


	5. Why?

It had to be near three o'clock in the morning when Elena opened her eyes. She was nearly falling out of her bed, with Caroline wedged between her and Bonnie. They had stayed up until past midnight, gossiping and giggling about their new love lives. Apparently, Bonnie had some kind of secret admirer who was sending her flowers every Friday at her mom's house. Caroline, on the other hand, had spent a good hour and a half telling them every romantic detail about her trip around the world with Klaus; Elena still couldn't believe how much he had changed just because of one girl. Then, of course, they had started in on her about Damon. Of course, she couldn't deny it anymore; they had been watching from the woods when she tried to rip his clothes off on their picnic blanket.

"When did it happen?" Caroline asked eagerly. "When did you finally admit to yourself that you _love _him?"

Elena sighed. "Honestly? It… it was yesterday."

Caroline and Bonnie had stopped beaming to frown in confusion at Elena.

"Yesterday?" Caroline asked. "You're kidding, right?"

Elena laughed with no humor. "No. No, I've… been really awful to him since you all left. I guess I was angry that you all sort of abandoned me, and I would draw him close to me when I got lonely, only to push him away again. I was worse than Katherine, in a way, because I really did love him, but I was being selfish and not letting myself get close to him. I guess… I was afraid he would leave me, too, and I didn't want to get myself attached to anyone else."

Caroline laughed. "You were afraid of _Damon _leaving you? Elena, he's in love with you!"

"I know. I know he is… and I was an idiot. I finally realized just how horrible I was last night, and I called him to come over… and I told him I love him."

The girls were grinning again.

"So…" Bonnie urged. "What did you two _do _after that?"

"Nothing." Elena simply said, flopping back on her bed and hugging one of her throw pillows. "We talked, and he told me stories about his past, and then we fell asleep."

Caroline laughed. "Oh, _come on _Elena! You don't really expect us to believe that _Damon Salvatore _only _talked _with you after you told him you _loved _him."

Elena shrugged. "He's taking things slowly. I think he understands that… I'm afraid of getting hurt again. He doesn't want me to feel that way."

"Have you heard from him?" Bonnie asked cautiously. "From… Stefan?"

Elena snorted. "No. I don't want to hear from him, either. Honestly, I could care less if someone staked the both of them."

Caroline wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "He's an idiot."

Elena rolled her eyes. "I already established that; and I've moved on."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "Have you?"

Elena frowned. "What do you mean? Of course I have!"

"Really?" Caroline asked. "Because it's been years, and you haven't even slept with Damon yet. _Years _and you have failed to sleep with possibly the sexiest guy ever to enter Mystic Falls in the history of the town; literally."

"Caroline!" Bonnie laughed.

"What? It's true."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow.

Caroline rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on; Damon's sexy and you know it. _He _knows it. Maybe a bit too much…"

Both girls turned to Elena.

"Well?" Caroline asked.

Elena was frowning. "Can we just go to bed? Please?"

"Come on, Elena! I gave you all of my details…!"

"Please, Care? It's been a long night, and I'm tired. I just want to go to sleep."

Caroline frowned, but sighed. "Fine. But you're giving us answers tomorrow."

VvvvV

Now, Elena was sneaking out of her bedroom in the dark house and creeping over to Jeremy's old bedroom, where Damon had crashed after far too much drinking with Klaus and Matt. She quietly opened the door and snuck inside, shutting it behind her. As soon as it clicked shut, Damon stirred. "Who…?"

"It's just me."

"Oh."

She heard him flop back down into the pillows and chuckle. "_Elena…_"

She walked over to the bed and pulled back the covers, crawling in next to him. "Hey."

"What are you doing? I thought you were sleeping…" he shifted in the bed and ran a hand through his hair. "I was."

Elena grinned and moved closer to him, running her hand along his muscled bare chest. "I got lonely."

"Lonely?" Damon snorted. "I went to the trouble of bringing your two best friends home and you're trying to tell me you were _lonely…_?"

He trailed off when Elena kissed him, biting down on his lip. Damon moaned, "What are you doing…?"

"I told you…" she grinned, rolling over so she was poised on top of him. "I was _lonely._"

Damon raised an eyebrow, and happily accepted her next passionate kiss, holding her closer to him. She squealed in surprise when he was suddenly on top of her, kissing her hungrily. She moaned when he moved downward to kiss her neck, but Damon froze as her hands moved down his chest and began to unbutton his pants. "Whoa, whoa, whoa…" he said, panting.

"What?" Elena asked in confusion.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, and she looked at him like he had lost his mind.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"I know what it looks like, Elena," he said, moving so that he was sitting up on the bed. "But why are you doing it?"

She frowned. "Because I love you."

Damon shook his head. "You only told me that the other night. Now you're trying to sleep with me? Not that I'm against the idea, but… isn't that moving a little fast?"

She sat up. "Damon… you've been in love with me for over five years. It took me longer than that just to admit I love you, too. How is this moving too fast?"

"Because, Elena," Damon said, frowning. "This isn't the kind of relationship that you want right now. You and I both know that."

She frowned, shaking her head. "What are you talking about…?"

"Stefan cheated on you, Elena. He cheated on you with someone he loved in the _1920s_. Then he ran away with her, and you haven't heard from him since. He hurt you. Despite what you're telling me right now… I know you're afraid that I'm going to hurt you, too. So, why are you trying to sleep with me?"

Elena's mouth was open, her eyes displaying shock and hurt at once. "I…"

"This isn't what you want, is it?" he asked her.

She bit down on her trembling lip and shook her head, fighting back the tears beginning to form in her eyes. "No… no, it isn't…"

Damon stroked her cheek. "Then tell me why you are, Elena."

A tear slid down her cheek, and her voice cracked when she answered. "Bonnie and Caroline… they were asking me why I hadn't slept with you yet. I… I couldn't answer them. It wasn't that I didn't want to… I didn't know what to tell them."

She looked up and met his eyes. "I didn't know why I hadn't slept with you yet. It would have made perfect sense for me to have jumped into bed with you as soon as he skipped town… I wanted nothing more than to hurt him. Than to make him feel how I felt… to make him feel… feel…"

"Betrayed?" Damon offered, and she nodded.

"Yes. Betrayed. But… I couldn't. I couldn't because I couldn't use you like that. I couldn't do it because I loved you, and I was so scared of losing you…"

Her tears were coming more rapidly now. "I was afraid you were going to leave me, just like the rest of them, and that I would be all alone…!"

"Hey…" Damon whispered, pulling her into his arms. "Hey… don't cry. You don't have to get upset, Elena. You did the right thing. Not just for me, but for you. Sleeping with me then would have only confused you more than you already were, and you would feel more hurt than ever. If anything, you would have pushed me away. I would never just _leave you…_"

"But I did push you away! I pushed you away and I didn't even sleep with you! Nothing makes any sense…!"

"Elena!" Damon said, frantically stroking her hair in attempt to calm her down. "You have no reason to be upset! Does it look like I'm going anywhere? No. So _stop crying._"

She bit down on her trembling lip as more tears continued to fall. "I'm sorry…"

"Stop apologising! We've already been through this; I'm not upset at you for how you acted. Elena, I'm just happy that you still speak to me at all! After everything I've ever done to you? The fact that you forgave me for all of that is enough to make me permanently stay by your side. I didn't deserve your forgiveness, but you gave me it. For you to think, even for one second, that I could ever leave you, or be upset with you over something like this… than you're insane."

A grin tugged at his lips and Elena laid her head on his chest, sniffling. "I don't deserve you…"

"Oh, stop it. That's enough, alright? You, Elena Gilbert, are going to walk out of this room, calm yourself down, and then you are going to come back in, perfectly happy, and we're going to act like this silly exchange never happened. Understand?"

She nodded. "Okay…"

He smiled. "Good. Now go."

Elena got to her feet and walked out of the room, shutting the door. Damon leaned against Jeremy's headboard and waited for a few minutes in the darkness. Finally, Elena entered again, more cautiously this time. "Can I come in?"

Damon grinned. "I don't know; do you think Jeremy would have a problem with us making out in his bedroom?"

Elena giggled and walked in, shutting the door and leaning against it. "You know," she said, "I never really gave you a proper thank you for what you did for me."

Damon sighed, grinning as he stood up and walked over to her, standing before her. "No thanks necessary, milady."

He bent with a flourish and took her hand, kissing it softly in a way that only an experienced gentleman would ever be able to do. Elena smiled. "It was amazing; to see them all again."

Damon laughed. "No, what are amazing were Caroline's gifts."

"Those were not gifts," Elena shook her head. "They were lottery prizes."

Damon chuckled. "So… just when are we going to use ours?"

Elena looked considering. "I really don't know."

"Well, I can say from experience that France is amazing. Not to mention, that pool they were talking about sounds more than inviting…"

Elena giggled when he placed his hands on the wall on either side of her. "I suppose it does."

"Once we get past the fact that Klaus probably screwed Caroline in every room, I think the entire place sounds… _fabulous._"

Elena sighed as he nuzzled her neck softly with his nose. "When do you want to go?"

"_Soon,_" Damon said with his tone dead serious. "I've been in Mystic Falls for way to long. I need a change," he grinned, "So do you."

Elena grinned. "When do we leave?"

Damon kissed her cheek and she shivered at his breath in her ear. "I say we ditch this place as soon as your guests leave."

"Okay…" Elena said, her eye lids fluttering at his closeness. "I'm surprisingly okay with that."

He chuckled. "Perfect. Now…"

He nipped at her earlobe and she squeaked in shock.

"I think I want to kiss you until the sun rises."

Elena glanced at the electric clock across the room. "You're going to kiss me for two and a half hours?"

"Absolutely." Damon said, pulling her closer to him.

"Good," she grinned, tilting her head up and shutting her eyes. "Start now."

_**I'm not sure if I like the flow of this chapter… I wrote it really late. Opinions?- Charlie'sLostVampire **_


	6. Waterpalooza

Caroline and Bonnie both woke up around noon.

"You hogged all the blankets…" Caroline complained to Bonnie, who huffed and rolled her eyes, sticking a pillow over her head to block out the sunlight, "You kicked me all night. It wasn't bad when we used to have sleepovers, but you're a vampire now; it _hurts._"

"I don't kick that much, do I, Elena?"

The girls frowned when Elena didn't answer. Caroline rolled over to notice her friend wasn't in the bed beside her. Bonnie snickered, "Did she fall out? She's always falling out of bed…"

Caroline moved to look at the spot on the floor where Elena would have been, had she fallen out, "Nope," she sat up and ran a hand through her blonde hair, yawning, "She's not here."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow, "Do you think she got up before us?"

Caroline's yawn turned into a laugh, "Yeah, right; this is Elena we're talking about. You know, Sleep-Until-One-in-the-Afternoon-During-Sleepovers Elena? She would never be up before us. Which only means one thing."

Bonnie raised her eyebrows higher, "Oh? That would be…?"

Caroline grinned, "She didn't sleep with us."

Bonnie frowned, "Are we that bad? Do you think she slept on the couch…?"

"A: No, we aren't that bad. B: Matt is sleeping on the couch, so no. C: _Are you stupid? _When I say she didn't sleep with _us, _I mean she slept with someone else."

Bonnie grinned, "You're saying you think she ditched us for Damon?"

"I know she ditched us for Damon. In fact… let's go check in on the little lovebirds."

Bonnie's grin widened, "Great idea, Care."

The two girls got out of Elena's bed and crept out of the room, heading down the hall to Jeremy's door, where Damon had slept that night. Caroline put a finger to her lips to signal that Bonnie be quiet, and opened the door slowly.

The room was still dark, what with Damon having drawn Jeremy's gothic black curtains the night before. Caroline and Bonnie could hear the soft breathing of someone sleeping. _Two _someone's sleeping.

Bonnie grinned when she saw that their theory had been correct; there, lying snuggled up under the black and navy covers of Jeremy's bed, were Elena and Damon. Elena was using Damon as a pillow, her arms wrapped around his waist, and Damon had a protective arm around her, his face nuzzled in her hair. Caroline giggled, "I never thought that those two could look so… _cute!_"

Bonnie nodded, "I know. It doesn't make any sense. Damon isn't supposed to be the nice boyfriend who cuddles with her; he's supposed to be the sexy lover who does booty calls in the middle of the night, and the sneaks out her window before dawn."

"You know, it's one thing to stare, but to talk about me while I'm in the room? I didn't realize you two were _that _rude…"

Both girls turned white with shock when they heard Damon's voice, and they then noticed him watching them through one eye. Clearly, he had heard them as soon as the door opened and overheard every word they said.

Bonnie blushed, and Caroline bit her lip, "Sorry…"

"Yeah, you should be. Jeez, Bonnie; am I really _that _bad of a guy…?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes and walked away.

"Sorry!" Caroline put in again before quickly shutting the door and running downstairs after Bonnie. Damon sighed and shook his head, burying his nose in Elena's hair yet again. She stirred in his arms, her brown eyes finally opening. She grinned and closed them again, snuggling closer, "Good morning…"

"Good morning to you, too, beautiful." Damon said, brushing hair out of her eyes and kissing the top of her head adoringly.

"Mm…" Elena muttered, "What time is it…?"

"Just past noon." Damon said, rubbing circles into Elena's back that were quickly turning her muscles to mush. She sighed contently, "That feels nice…"

He chuckled, "It's supposed to."

She opened her eyes again and smiled up at him. Her smile turned to a playful pout, "What? No kiss good morning today?"

His eyes widened and he blinked a few times, "Well, I'm sorry! How could I _ever _forget…?" he asked, leaning down and kissing her lips softly. Her lips grinned beneath his, and she smiled when he pulled away, "Much better."

He sighed happily, lying his head back in the pillows, "I could get used to waking up like this, you know," he looked at her, "With you."

She smiled at him from behind her lashes, propping herself up on her elbow and fiddling with his shirt, "It certainly has been two of the nicer mornings I've had in a long time."

He grinned, "Once we get rid of the posse, we can start waking up in _Paris_." He said, using the French pronunciation. Elena giggled, "I still can't believe we're really going…"

"Oh, believe it, sweetheart; we're getting the hell out of this one horse town."

Elena laughed, and squealed when Damon rolled on top of her, bending down to kiss her again, more passionately this time. Only when Elena moaned in desire did he pull away to let her breathe. He smiled and stroked her cheekbone with his index fingertip, "Do you want brunch?"

She grinned, "Obviously. You do realize, though, that you'll also have to cook for a quarterback, a witch, a vampire and a hybrid, don't you?"

"Huh," Damon said, nodding in thought, "Surprisingly, the quarterback is the one that worries me most in that equation." He grinned, "Maybe we should go out for brunch instead."

Elena smiled, "That's a nice idea, actually. Somewhere other than the Grill, though; that way it's more of a treat for Matt, and not a reminder of his hellish past job."

"Of course," Damon nodded and bent to give her one last quick kiss before standing up and walking across the room to grab his shirt and pull it on. Elena watched him from the pillows, smiling. She had to admit, it was a shame to cover up such a perfect body… maybe they should go to L.A. instead of Paris, so he could just run around with his shirt off the entire time. She giggled at the idea, and Damon raised an eyebrow at her, "Is something funny?"

She shook her head, "Nope."

He shrugged, "Well, if that's your final answer…"

She gasped when he was suddenly above her on the bed again, grinning wildly, "I'll have to get the truth out of you the hard way."

She screamed into a peal of giggles when he began to tickle her in all of the places he knew bothered her the most, "Damon…!" she complained.

"Come on, Elena! Just tell me what's so funny and this can all be over!"

"Okay! Okay, _okay!_" she cried between laughter, breathlessly. Damon ceased his tickling to let her answer.

"I was just thinking that after we go to Paris, we should go to Los Angeles, too."

Damon raised an eyebrow, "Why is that?"

She trailed her fingers along the unbutton spot exposing his skin, "So you can walk around with your shirt off all day."

He laughed, "A year ago, you were complaining when I wasn't wearing a shirt. Now you complain when I am…"

She shrugged, "What can I say? People change, Damon."

He grinned, "Certainly for the better… come on, go get dressed. If we wait too much longer, Blondie is going to find my stash of blood down in the kitchen and have it gone."

VvvvV

"I can't believe you actually met _Taylor Swift. Matt Donovan _met _Taylor Swift!_"

Caroline was gushing as she drank her orange juice; shocked by the story Matt had just finished telling them about his experience with the pop country teen idol.

"You never know who you're going to meet in Washington, Care; apparently she was doing a private show for the president's daughters or something. I ran into her by mistake at Starbucks and helped her pick up her bags. She thought I was adorable _and _she gave me this."

He proudly waved his cellphone, which Caroline snatched away, following soon after by a shriek of, "_Matt Donovan has Taylor freaking Swift's __**phone number**__!_"

Matt grinned; Damon was floored. How in hell did a guy as drab as Matt Donovan get _Taylor Swift's _phone number? Even he didn't have Taylor Swift's phone number!

"She totally digs me." Matt said, and everyone laughed.

The six of them were sitting in a sunny café eating expensive breakfast, the bill being split between Klaus and Damon. The next thing they all had to decide was what they were going to do after breakfast was finished. They were all together again, sure, but there really wasn't that much to do in Mystic Falls.

"Ooh!" Caroline suddenly piped up, "I have a great idea!"

"What's that, sweetheart?" Klaus asked her, grinning.

She giggled, "We should all go to that water park the next city over!"

"Oh, yeah!" Matt grinned, "Waterpalooza; that place we all went to on Jeremy's eighth birthday!"

Damon made a face, "You want to go to a place where you had an eight year old boys birthday party? You're adults now! You could go to a freaking strip club if you wanted to, and you want to go… _there?_"

"Believe it or not, it's fun." Bonnie put in, and Damon's frown deepened; he and the witch still didn't exactly see eye to eye.

"It is, actually." Elena agreed, and Damon looked down at her.

"What's so special about Waterbladoola?"

"_Waterpalooza,_" Caroline corrected, "And it's only the best, biggest, scariest water park in Virginia! It has the highest waterslide for miles; The Rocket Launcher."

"Or the Vomit Launcher," Matt put in, "Because half of the kids under ten who try it hurl, and the thing gets shut down for the rest of the day to be sanitized."

"I haven't been there in years," Elena said, grinning, "It would be so much fun to go again!"

"Yeah," Matt snorted, "Now that you're tall enough to go on the slides."

Elena blushed, and turned to Damon, "I was super short the last time we all went, and had to stay behind while the three of them went on all of the bigger slides."

Damon grinned, "I'm assuming Waterpalooza it is, then?"

"Klaus?" Caroline looked up at him hopefully, and he shrugged.

"I honestly don't care where we go," he grinned, "Perhaps Matt will charm Britney Spears while we're there."

They all laughed and, after paying the bill, got up and left the restaurant. Of course, Matt had gotten Klaus and Caroline to drive him back to his house so that he could get his new car, begging Bonnie to ride with him, since Elena and Caroline were attached at the hip to Damon and Klaus. But, they all agreed to carpool to the water park in "Matt's new ride" to save gas money. Sure, they two supernatural creatures may have had money to burn, but that didn't mean they didn't like to if they didn't have to.

Bonnie sat up front with Matt, and Caroline and Elena sat wedged in the back between Klaus and Damon, all of them listening to Caroline prattle on endlessly about their childhood. It was evident that mentioning Jeremy's eighth birthday had meant describing everyone's eighth birthdays, and then their ninth, and then their tenth; she only stopped when Matt finally pulled into the parking lot of the water park. The girls had taken Klaus' car back to all of their houses to retrieve their bathing suits, and Matt's, and Klaus and Damon had driven to the nearest store to buy their own.

"Honestly," Damon had said to Klaus once they were in the store, away from Caroline's prattling, "I don't know how you do it. Does she ever shut up?"

"The solution is simple, really," Klaus said as they walked, "There are two ways to make Caroline Forbes stop talking; sex, and diamonds. Luckily, I'm in heavy supply of both." He winked and Damon grinned, rolling his eyes.

Now, they were all getting changed and ready to go. Caroline had brought her light neon blue bikini, Elena bringing her black one, and Bonnie her red. Matt had his swim shorts from three summers ago; they were blue and red sportswear that clearly red Mystic Falls Community Pool, on one leg, and Lifeguard on the other. Klaus had a simple dark blue pair, and Damon's were, of course, black. He threw an arm around Elena as they walked up to the ticket booth in the hot Virginia sunlight, grinning at her from behind his sunglasses, "We match."

She giggled and leaned closer to him, and he whispered in her ear, "What do you know? I got to go a day without my shirt on, after all."

She giggled louder, and the others turned to look at them. "What's so funny?" Matt asked.

"Oh, nothing…" Elena muttered, grinning. Caroline was grinning, too, "Elena's giggling because she's happy she gets to see Damon shirtless all day."

Elena blushed and looked down, "Damn vampire hearing…"

"I heard that!" Caroline piped up.

"Well, stop listening, then!" Elena snapped back and Caroline shrugged, grinning, "Fair enough."

They all bought their bracelets and entered the park, looking around at the numerous attractions; there were over a dozen slides of all heights, twists, and turns; a wavepool; bumper boats; a deeper pool with numerous people diving in. Caroline was pulling Klaus and Matt both toward the Rocket Launcher, "Come on; we _have _to go on it first."

Elena glanced warily at it, "I dunno, Care; we just ate…"

"Don't be such a buzz kill, 'Lena!" Caroline complained, and Elena sighed, "Fine; whatever. But I'm going to pass."

Caroline frowned. "You can't _pass! _It's the Rocket Launcher, Elena; you _have to…_"

She rolled her eyes, "Alright! Okay, I'll go…" she grabbed Damon's hand, "But you're going with me."

He grinned, "Fine by me, sweet pea…"

They all approached the huge line of people waiting, and Damon grinned, "This is the advantage of going to amusement parks with vampires…"

He then compelled every single person in line to let them pass, getting them to the front in a matter of minutes. Caroline rushed forward, running up the seemingly endless flight of stairs that led to the top. She was followed closely behind by Klaus, Matt, and Bonnie, but Elena was a bit hesitant. Damon pulled her aside, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"No," Elena shook her head, "I've got to; Caroline will never let me live it down if I don't…"

She gave his hand a squeeze and they started up the stairs after their friends. Caroline had reached the top and was already preparing to go down. She grinned when Damon and Elena emerged at the top, "Good luck, slow pokes!"

She then pushed off, squealing at a very high pitch as she descended the nearly 90* drop of the slide. Klaus jumped down after her, and Elena couldn't help thinking that he seemed a bit… odd doing something so casual. Bonnie slid down next, followed closely by Matt, and finally it was Elena's turn. Damon grinned at her, "Come on, kitten."

He took her hand and pulled her over to the slide, sitting down and reaching for her. She still hesitated, and he grinned, "Don't worry; I don't have even the slightest intention of letting you go."

She grinned and shook her head, walking over and allowing him to position her in his lap. Seconds later he pushed off, and there was air and water zooming past their faces at an almost painful fast pace. Elena shrieked in surprise, and Damon laughed when they hit the pool below with a splash, plunging them a few feet below. Damon hadn't lied to her; he was still grasping her waist firmly when they surfaced, Elena gasping for air with her eyes wide. He chuckled and led her to the edge of the pool, where Matt helped her get out. Damon climbed out after her and pulled a hand through his dripping black hair, "Wasn't so bad, was it, sweetheart?"

Elena just shook her head angrily, stalking away from them toward the next slide. Damon snorted out a laugh and jogged after her, the other four following, still laughing.

"I think _I _should get to decided what we do next, since I was forced into that." Elena said, stopping and turning to stare at the others.

"Okay," Caroline grinned, "What do _you _want to do, Elena?"

Elena looked around, and grinned when her eyes caught sight of something a few feet away, "Bumper boats."

Caroline frowned, "But it smells like gasoline over there."

"So?" Elena asked, "I nearly drowned doing your stupid slide!"

"_Exaggerating…_" Damon muttered, and Elena frowned at him. He shrugged innocently, grinning at her. "I think we should do what Elena wants."

Caroline huffed, "Seriously, Elena?"

Elena grinned, "Seriously. Come on," she mimicked Caroline's excitement about the Rocket Launcher, "Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

Damon laughed as she snagged his and Bonnie's hands and pulled them along behind her as Caroline had done with Klaus and Matt. Caroline huffed again, but followed after the three of them.

They, once again, compelled their way to the front of the line, getting the last six boats in the turn. Amung them were six other people who had been ahead of them; a fat guy who looked like he was in his forties and had spent too much time at the ice cream bar, a little red haired boy with freckles who was probably eleven, and was grinning deviously in Caroline's direction. There was also a mother with long, straight brown hair who was talking to who must have been her daughter, a blonde fourteen year old who was making eyes at Damon, who looked a bit disturbed by this. The last two were around Caroline, Elena, Matt, and Bonnie's age, but were obviously tourists. The boy was tanned with straight, black hair, and the girl was also tanned with long, straight, bleach blonde hair. When everyone was situated in a boat, the pimply teenage boy running the ride set the timer for fourteen minutes, and pressed a green button, starting the count down. A horn sounded, and their boats all roared to life. Immediately the red haired boy made a b-line for Caroline, slamming her into her corner before she could even get moving. She glared, "Hey!"

He gave a rather annoying "maniacal" laugh before turning around and heading in Bonnie's direction. He jumped in surprise when his boat was rammed from the side by Klaus, who was glaring, "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to be rude to ladies?"

The boy glared, "Shut up, you stupid Brit!"

Klaus blinked a few times in surprise, and Damon could be heard laughing his ass off across the pool, where he was then rammed by the giggling fourteen year old girl. Klaus glared at the boy and, rather talentedly, spun his boat around and rammed into the boy's boat at least fifteen times. He was shaken with a powerful jolt each time, "Hey! Stop it! _Stop it…!_"

Back across the pool, Damon was trying to get out of the teenager's lane of direction, but she was persistent. He shot Elena, who was laughing as Matt rammed her boat, a pleading glance. Grinning, she put her foot on the gas and slammed into the girl's boat. "Hey!" the girl complained, and Elena's eyes narrowed, "Stop stalking my boyfriend and find a guy your own age, teeny bopper!"

The girl muttered something under her breath and sped away, headed in Matt's direction. Elena rolled her eyes, and then giggled when Damon bumped into her boat.

In the other corner of the pool, Bonnie was in distress; the two tanned tourists had her cornered, and were grinning madly at her. She gasped when they started coming at her at the same time on both sides, jolting her boat a bit too much, "Help!" she cried, and Matt looked up and drove over, ramming roughly into the guy's boat, "Screw off, dude!"

The boy rolled his eyes, "Let's go bug the happy couple instead, Melissa."

"'Kay, Dave!" the girl replied, driving after him toward Damon and Elena.

"Thanks," Bonnie smiled at Matt.

"Don't mention it," he replied, turning in surprise to find the teenage girl had rammed, giggling, into his boat again. He sighed, deciding just to let her have her fun.

Caroline, on the other hand, was in a fierce boat battle with the teenage girl's mother, who had gotten them both stuck in a corner seven minutes ago.

"Move, Lady!" Caroline complained, trying to shove her way out.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetheart…" the woman said, clearly trying her best to move, and failing miserably. Giving up, Caroline sighed and let go of the wheel, leaning back in her seat with her arms across her chest to wait until the time was up. At twelve minutes the pre-buzzer rang to signal them all to park their boats again for the next group of people. Klaus finally stopped harassing the boy, who looked on the verge of puking from being shaken so much, and they both drove off to park their boats. The pimply teenager had to come help the woman get her boat away from Caroline's, and they two went off to park. Bonnie and Matt did so, as well, and so did Damon, Elena, and the two tourists, Dave and Melissa. When the buzzer rang, they all got out of their boats and filed down the ramp. Klaus grinned, "That was more fun than I expected it to be."

Just as he said that, the red headed boy ran past him, a hand clamped over his mouth as he dashed for the bathroom.

"Poor kid…" Elena shook her head.

Klaus frowned, "He called me a stupid Brit; he deserved it! Pompous little brat…"

"Well, I'm glad you had fun," Caroline pouted, "That girl's mother kept me boxed in a corner the entire time!"

Damon and Matt both shuddered at the mention of the pubescent teenage girl, "Can we not mention her, please?" Matt asked. "Yeah," Damon nodded, "I'm with him."

The group then continued on to at least eight more slides before stopping at the ice cream bar sometime in the afternoon. They were all sitting in the shade, and Damon grinned as Elena ate her vanilla soft serve, "You've got a little bit on your nose…" he said, bending down and kissing the tip of her nose, getting rid of the adorable little white spot of ice cream. Elena giggled and moved over to peck him on the cheek. Caroline was picking quietly at her strawberry frozen yogurt, which was confusing them all.

"Why are you suddenly so quiet, Care?" Matt asked, and she looked up in surprise at hearing her name, "What? Oh, it's nothing…"

Klaus frowned in confusion, his grip around her shoulders tightening a bit in concern, "What the matter, Caroline?" he asked, brushing a damp blonde curl away from her face.

"Well," she said, "It's _that._"

They all followed her pointed plastic spoon to the games area not far from the ice cream bar, where all of the games where you could win prizes were located. No one understood.

"What's the matter with that?" Klaus asked, and Caroline sighed, "The last time I was here was with my dad on my sixteenth birthday. No one has won me anything over there since he… died."

Elena bit her lip and she and Bonnie exchanged knowing glances. Caroline's father had died a few years ago, having been murdered in the hospital with vampire blood in his system, and deciding not to turn. As much as Caroline tried to remain the spunky, energetic girl she had been, she hadn't been exactly the same since. They all thought it was because he had had the chance to live, to stay with her by feeding, but had chosen death instead, making Caroline believe he had picked death over her.

Klaus suddenly stood up. "Come on," he said, "I'm going to win you a giant teddy bear to take to Italy with us."

Caroline cracked a smile, "Really?"

"Truly," he said, taking her hand and making her stand and follow him in the direction of the games.

Matt stood, too. "Come on, Bon Bon; I'll win you a monkey over at the basketball toss."

Bonnie giggled, rolling her eyes at the ridiculous childhood nickname, and followed after Matt.

Damon sighed, glancing at Elena, "Do you want me to win you a stuffed pink dolphin?"

She giggled, "Would you?"

He stood and offered her his hand, "Only for you."

She beamed and took his hand, following him over to the ring toss which did, in fact, have stuffed pink dolphins as prizes.

"How about a pretty pink dolphin for a pretty little lady, huh?" the guy who was running the game asked, grinning.

Damon dug around in his pants pocket, slapping a five dollar bill on the counter. The man put twelve rings in front of Damon, "Twelve gets the giant dolphin, six gets the medium, and three gets the small. Let's see if he can gettum' all!"

Elena giggled, clinging to Damon's bare arm as he grabbed one of the rings, tossing it with a simple flick of his wrist.

"Perfect!"

The man then followed in pursuit with twelve, growing more and more baffled and stunned with every perfect toss, calls of "Bingo!" "Bull's-eye!" "Not a miss!" and, as he grew more stunned, simply a remark of, "Perfect… _again?_"

Finally, when the last ring looped around its peg, Damon grinned, "How about that big pretty pink dolphin for my pretty little lady?"

A bit dazed, the man unhooked the dolphin and passed it to Damon, who held it out for Elena. She grabbed it, a bit taken aback by its true size, "This is insane…" she giggled.

"Yes, it is…" the man behind the counter muttered, trying to find some evidence that Damon had cheated; there obviously was none.

Damon wrapped his arm around Elena again and led her over to where Klaus was tossing darts at balloons, winning Caroline a giant blue polka dotted teddy bear that she had already named "Klausberry". Matt and Bonnie appeared a few moments later, Bonnie carrying a stuffed monkey under one arm. She blinked a few times at the size of Elena's dolphin, "Wow. That thing's… big."

Elena giggled, "It is, isn't it?"

Caroline glanced at the setting sun, her eyes bright, "Come on, guys! We have to actually go swimming before the park closes!"

She led them over to the pool, which was nearly abandoned now. It was all too easy for the vampires of the group to compel everyone who was still there to leave, so they had the large pool, with its waterfall, diving board and waterslide all to themselves. Damon was the first in, doing a cannon ball that probably could have dented the pool more than an actual canon, and Elena followed after him in an elegant swan dive. Caroline and Klaus decided to come in using the waterslide, and Bonnie and Matt, having been lifeguards, opted for the diving board. Once in the pool, each went off to do their own thing; Bonnie and Matt swimming laps, Klaus and Caroline giggling and splashing each other, and Damon and Elena…

"Damon?" Elena called in confusion, searching around for him. She had seen him go under, but he hadn't come back up yet. "Damon…?"

She gasped in surprise when the water parted behind her and a strong pair of arms wove themselves around her waist. She giggled when Damon pressed a kiss to her wet, bare shoulder. "Sorry; didn't mean to scare you."

"I should have known…" she giggled, kissing his lips, which were a tad on the cold side from the water. She sighed in contentment when he held onto her, allowing her to lounge on his stomach while he swam backwards in the water. The water itself was glistening, and Elena smiled at the way Damon's wet black hair shimmered in the light. "You know," she said, smiling, "Today turned out even better than I had hoped it would."

"It did, didn't it?" he grinned. "Creepy teenage girls aside, of course."

Elena laughed, "That little flousy was trying to steal you from me!"

"And she was trying to steal Matt from Taylor Swift!" Damon said in mock shock, and Elena laughed so hard the she rolled off of him, slipping in the water. Damon dove under and pulled her back up to the surface, where she coughed a bit from having swallowed water while she laughed. "Thanks…"

"Don't mention it." He said, holding her close around the waist while they both treaded water. As the sun disappeared behind a line of trees, Damon bent down and took Elena's lips in his own, kissing her softly, not caring that their friends were watching. That is, Matt and Bonnie were watching; Klaus and Caroline were in a similar state, only they were more so on the verge of eating each other rather than the romantic little moment Damon and Elena were sharing.

"_Attention all visitors,_" a woman's voice echoed through the park, "_Waterpalooza will be closing for the night in fifteen minutes. We ask everyone be outside the gates by this time. Thank you, and come back again soon!_"

Damon sighed. "Fun's over," he mumbled into Elena's shoulder, and the six of them swam over to the edge of the pool.

_**Sorry that this chapter was so long; it started off as a simple trip to a water park, and ended up being twelve pages long on Microsoft Word… the creative flow just didn't want to stop! Hehehe; I hope you enjoyed! Remember to review!-Charlie'sLostVampire **_


	7. I'm Damon Fucking Salvatore, Damn It!

"Oh, I'm going to miss you guys!" Caroline squealed as she hugged Bonnie and Elena tightly. The weekend was over, and everyone had to get back to their lives; Klaus and Caroline's plane to Italy left in an hour, Bonnie's mother had found a ton of spells that needed to be practiced, and Matt had a huge football game that night and needed to get back to D.C. Elena hated to see her friends go, but it seemed a little less awful knowing that she and Damon and packing of their own to do once they were all gone. She could taste the begets and champagne already.

"I'm going to miss you all, too!" Elena cried, and Caroline and Bonnie snorted in unison.

"Oh, please," Bonnie muttered, "Like you'll be thinking about _us _while you're in the city of love with _Damon_."

Elena blushed, but grinned. Caroline giggled, "Don't feel bad; I know exactly how you feel."

Bonnie pouted, "Must be nice."

"Well," Caroline said, "Kol is still single if you really want to…"

"No!" Bonnie hissed, "I have a strict no vampires rule."

Caroline giggled, "Alright, then…"

"Are you ready, Caroline?" Klaus asked, glancing into Elena's bedroom. Caroline nodded, "Yep!"

She picked up her suitcase and gave Elena another hug, making sure to whisper, "Text me _all _the details" into her ear before turned to Bonnie, "Ready?"

Bonnie nodded; Klaus and Caroline were giving her a ride home, since it was on the way. The girls followed him down to the front door and outside, where Matt was comparing his new Mercedes Bens to Damon's Mustang, "Seriously; mine makes yours look like a sissy car!"

Damon snorted, "Dream on, Donovan."

"Matty," Elena grinned, rushing up and hugging him, "Good luck tonight!"

He grinned and hugged her back, "Thanks; maybe Taylor will show up."

Everyone laughed and he held his hands up in defeat, "What? A guy can dream, can't he?"

The girls exchanged another long hug before Caroline and Bonnie climbed into Klaus' car.

"Have fun in Paris," Klaus said, mainly to Damon, winking. Damon grinned and winked back, and Elena frowned in confusion but didn't mention anything. Klaus ducked into the front seat and started the engine, and they pulled out of the Gilbert driveway, waving and yelling goodbye with Matt on their tail.

Elena sighed when they disappeared, and looked up at Damon, smiling, "Thank you."

He threw an arm around her and led her back into the house, "It was worth it, wasn't it? We now own a villa in Paris all because I convinced them to stop by on their way to Italy."

Elena giggled as she shut the front door, "That is an added bonus, yeah."

"So," Damon grinned, placing a hand on the door beside her, "When do we start packing?"

Elena giggled, "How about right now?"

His eyes widened a bit; did she seriously want to go tomorrow, like he had suggested? "Are you serious?"

She nodded, "I want to go as soon as possible. It feels like it's been ages since we went on a road trip."

Damon raised an eyebrow and laughed, "Elena, a road trip would be going to Georgia again. Paris; that's an _air _trip."

"Well," Elena grinned, "Then you had better start packing."

VvvvV

Damon opened the door to the Salvatore boarding house and walked in, tossing his keys on a nearby table and heading for his room. He opened the door and walked in, grinning to himself; he had dreamed of taking Elena somewhere far away and romantic for years, and now he was actually going to do it. The irony of the situation was that years ago, he wanted to whisk her away to get her away from Klaus; now, they were going because Klaus had given them a mansion. Damon chuckled and pulled his suitcase from his closet, and frowned when something fell out. He bit his lip when he realized what it was.

He hadn't used his suitcase since he arrived in Mystic Falls, for he had decided to stay. The item that had fallen out was a photograph of Katherine. Glaring at the piece of paper that had at one time meant the world to him, he picked it up and tore it to shreds, tossing it in the trash before tossing his suitcase onto his bed. He ran a hand through his hair as he assessed just how much his life had changed in the run of five years. He had gone from obsessing over a woman who never loved him, to falling in love with her doppelganger, to despising his brother even more for having her too, then, just as they were beginning to feel like… well, _brothers _again, he runs off with the Original Bitch. He sat on his bed, thinking; the changes to his life recently had most definitely not been all bad. He had Elena. He had won her over; she loved him, too.

Standing up and walking over to his closet, he began to toss articles of clothing into his suitcase, to assess more carefully later tonight while he, Damon grinned, _helped Elena finish packing. _

He had just walked into his bathroom when he heard it; a thud from downstairs. He frowned in confusion and listened more intently. He heard nothing more, and decided perhaps he was hearing things. Damon grabbed a bag full of necessities from the bathroom; shampoo, scented soaps, bubble bath, hair gel, and, of course, cologne.

He walked out of the bathroom, whistling, and tossed them in his bag.

"Hello, brother."

Damon whirled in surprise, coming face to face with Stefan. He swore loudly, his eyes wide. Then he glared daggers at him and spat, "What the hell are _you _doing here?"

Stefan grinned, shrugging, "Word on the street is that you're going on a _romantic getaway._"

Damon glared at him, "Why do you care?"

"Because, Damon," Stefan said, as though it should be obvious, "I also heard that you're going on that little vacation… _with my girlfriend._"

"She's not your girlfriend anymore, Stefan."

"Really? Because, I don't remember agreeing to a break up."

Damon's glare deepened, "You _left. _You skipped town with that poisonous bitch, and no one has heard from you since. Did you honestly think she would be waiting here with open arms when you decided to come back?"

Stefan shrugged, "Why not? After all, _our love was supposed to be eternal…_"

"What are you doing here, Stefan?" Damon repeated, wanting him gone.

Stefan grinned, "Rebekah wants to _take a break, _so I thought I would come back to Mystic Falls for a little… Elena time."

He grunted in surprise when Damon's fist came in sharp, swift contact with his jaw, "What the hell…?"

"_Don't talk about her, you bastard…!_"

"What is it with you and falling in love with my girlfriends? God, I'm surprised you didn't try to get in Rebekah's pants as soon as you realized she was into me…"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Damon spat at his brother, "_I love her! _I don't give a damn if she was your girlfriend or not; you left. You left and didn't look back. It's been _five years, _Stefan! Elena has moved on, and distinctly told Bonnie that she never wants to see your face ever again!"

Stefan laughed, "Are you trying to kid yourself, Damon? All you are to her is my replacement. As soon as she realizes that her _real _boyfriend is back, she's going to sweep you under the rug like dust, and then stomp on it. _You mean nothing to her._"

Damon swallowed roughly, "Stay away from her…"

"What's the matter, brother? Afraid I'm right?"

"Damn it, Stefan! You broke her heart! Just leave her alone!"

"You killed her brother! Did you leave her alone? Last time I checked, I haven't killed anyone she loves lately."

Damon's lip twitched in anger, "Shut the hell up…"

"Whatever, Damon. Look, I really don't have time to talk to you," Stefan grinned, "I have a girlfriend to reunite with."

He walked out of the room, and Damon heard the front door shut a few seconds later. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and pulled it out, noticing that he had a text;

**Elena Gilbert: Will you be here soon? I can't decide what to bring to Paris with me… is it warm or cold this time of year?**

Damon's hand shook as he read the text and he sat on the edge of his bed. He quickly went back to the main screen, only to have the knife Stefan had stabbed him with dig deeper when he found himself staring at his background image, which was of himself and Elena, making ridiculous faces at the beach two summers ago. He quickly shut off his phone and tossed it aside, shutting his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. What if… Stefan was right? What if, after all they had been though, Elena still ran straight back into his arms, forgetting that she had ever loved Damon Salvatore?

Damon, for the first time since he was human, found that the thought made him want to vomit. He couldn't bare the idea of losing her; not now.

His eyes snapped open angrily. What was he thinking? He was _Damon fucking Salvatore! _There was no way in hell he was going to let his pip squeak little brother steal his girl from him; not this time. He had had quite enough of Stefan's ass hole ripper attitude; no matter what he wanted to think, _he _was still the badass brother. _Damon. _

One way or another, he was going to keep Elena right where she belonged, and wouldn't have her heart broken. Whether it meant simply confronting his ass wipe of a brother, or ripping his heart out.

Because he was Damon Salvatore, and no one was going to walk all over him. _Especially not his brother. _

Standing up, Damon pulled on his leather jacket, glaring daggers, and took off out his bedroom door, in a b-line for Elena's house.


	8. So Long As Damon Takes the Lead

Elena was standing, looking into her full length mirror in her bedroom, looking back and forth between a pink cardigan and a silk and lace blue tank top. She heard her bedroom door open and grinned, "I thought you were never coming back. I can't decide between these two. What do you think…?"

She turned around and stopped dead, her eyes widening and her mouth hanging open, "Oh, my God…"

Stefan was lounging in her doorframe, grinning, "Hey, Elena."

She took a step back in disbelief, "Stefan…?"

He smiled wider, "You thought I was never coming back, didn't you?"

Elena was unsure of what to say; she hadn't seen him in over five years. "What are you doing here?" she finally choked out.

Stefan shrugged, "I came to apologize for everything that I've done to you, and beg your forgiveness."

Elena shook her head in disbelief, "You… you left… you left with _her…_"

"I know. I know I did. I'm sorry for that, and for Klaus, and…"

Elena laughed shortly, "You're sorry for _Klaus? _I've seen more of him in the past five years than I have of you! We're _friends _now!"

Stefan raised an eyebrow, "I guess I missed the memo."

She frowned, "You've missed a lot of things, Stefan."

Stefan walked up to her, and Elena took a step back, running into her mirror. He looked into her eyes, grinning, "You know that I still love you, don't you?"

Elena's eyes widened in shock and her grip tightened on her mirror behind her, "_What…?_"

"I love you. I never stopped loving you… I was an idiot for leaving with her. Can you ever forgive me?"

Elena stared at him in shock, speechless, and he smiled taking her speechlessness as a yes. But, when he began to lean in to kiss her, Elena turned her head away, "No, Stefan."

He frowned, "No? What do you mean, _no…?_"

"I mean no, as in I can't forgive you. You left me. You _cheated on me. _I can't forgive you for what you did… and I've moved on."

He blinked a few times, obviously a bit surprised. Then he frowned, "You've moved on, as in now you're sleeping with my brother?"

Elena gasped, "I'm not sleeping with him…!"

"Really? You expect me to believe that you've been here, alone with him for five years and he hasn't screwed you yet? How stupid do you think I am, Elena?"

Elena glared, "I haven't slept with Damon!"

Stefan grinned, "Well, if you really haven't, it has to be because you were waiting for me to return. Well, here I am." He stared into her eyes, compelling her, "Kiss me."

Elena stood completely still, and Stefan grinned and leaned in again. He froze when Elena's hand came in contact with his jaw in a rough slap. He put a hand to the spot she had smacked him, and turned his eyes up to look at her. She was glaring daggers at him, "_Who the hell do you think you are…?_"

Stefan's eyes traveled down to his neck and he snorted; in replacement of the necklace he had given her was a golden, heart shaped locket with intricate designs on the locket itself, her initials, EG, in the center in a loopy writing style. "I see you have a new locket," he sneered, and Elena's hand flew up to the necklace protectively. Damon had given it to her exactly a year after Stefan left them, for he was worried that she was no longer wearing vervain. It had been a simple, sweet gesture, and the beginning of her truly falling in love with him. Of course, she had loved Damon for years before that, but hadn't been able to show it without feeling guilty. Now that she had no reason to feel guilty… she hadn't been sure what to do with herself.

Of course, Elena loved the locket. She adored it and never took it off, much to Damon's pleasure. It may not have been an antique, but it was special just the same.

Right now, it was her only line of defense against Stefan. If he ripped it from her neck, he could do anything he wanted to her and she wouldn't be able to protest. He had just began to advance on her again when a blur shot through her bedroom door. Seconds later Stefan grunted in surprise and Damon materialized on top of him, holding him in a strangle hold. Elena gasped in relief, and Damon looked at her, "Are you okay?"

A small smile tugged at her lips, "I am now."

Those three words were the only reassurance Damon needed. With that he turned back to his brother, who was attempting to bite him in order to get free. Damon grinned, "Not as tough as you'd like to think you are, huh brother?"

Stefan glared at snapped at him again. Damon grinned, "You're lucky Elena cares about you, or I'd snap you like a twig…"

"Damon," Elena said, grabbing his attention. When his blue eyes were on her, she bit her lip, "He tried to make me kiss him. He tried to compel me even after I told him I didn't want to."

Damon's lip twitched, infuriated. He turned back to Stefan and, before his brother could get a word in edgewise, he punched him square in the nose. Stefan swore loudly when blood began to gush from the broken area on his face and Damon stood up and started to kick him furiously. "_You fucking bastard…!_" Damon roared while he beat his brother to a pulp and Stefan moaned, "Stop… I'll leave… stop…!"

Damon finally stopped kicking him and bent down, lifting him up by his shirt, "You, _brother, _are going to get the hell out of this town. If you ever come back, I'll beat you senseless, and if you _ever _darken her doorstep again, "Damon snarled, pointing to Elena, "_I'll kill you._"

He threw Stefan down on the ground, his nose still bleeding, and walked over to Elena. "Are you okay?" he asked her, and she nodded. Her eyes suddenly widened, "Damon, look out…!"

Damon whirled again to find his brother lunging for him, fangs bared. Damon struck him, sending him flying into the wall. Numerous picture frames fell with the impact, the glass shattering. Stefan glared and, a second later, was simply a blur. The door downstairs slammed, and he was gone. The two of them stood in silence for a moment; then Elena whimpered. The next thing Damon knew she was running into his arms, sobbing.

"Hey!" he said in shock, leading her over to her bed and sitting them both down, "It's okay…"

"No, it's not! He thinks after five years he can just waltz back into my life like nothing happened…!"

"He's gone, Elena…"

"But he can come back! He's been invited in, Damon! All he has to do is rip off my necklace and he can do whatever he w-wants to me…!"

Damon frowned as he stroked her hair. "Shh…" he whispering comfortingly, kissing her hair. "It's okay… we're not going to be here, remember? We're going to be in France…"

Elena choked back a sob, "But what if he f-follows us…?"

"Elena," Damon said firmly and she looked up at him, "You're safe with me. I'm not going to let him get anywhere near you ever again."

She slowly nodded and Damon kissed her forehead, "Come on; let's finish packing, alright?" he gave her a small grin, "We have a plane to catch tomorrow morning, remember?"

She wiped her eyes and smiled, nodding. She stood up and walked over to her mirror and picked up the two shirts she had been planning on asking his opinion about. She gave him a small smile as she held them up, "Pink or blue?"

Damon grinned as he stood up and walked over to her. He took the shirts out of her hand and examined them, grinning at the blue tank top. He placed them on her dresser and pulled her into his arms, wrapping one around her waist and taking her hand, "Definitely blue," he purred in her ear as he began to waltz her around her bedroom.

Elena smiled at the reference to the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, and began to allow him to lead her in the musicless dance. As he guided her around her room, she knew everything was going to be alright.

As long as she always let Damon lead, she would never again fall into harm's way.


	9. Arriving in La Ville de L'amour

"Oh, my God…" Elena gushed in awe as they pulled up the cobblestone driveway and up to the stunning mansion. They had arrived in Paris early that morning after a rather dreary plane ride over. To Elena's surprise, Damon hated flying. He was fidgety the entire time, tapping his fingers restlessly on the arm rest and tapping his foot along with it. Whenever someone mentioned something to him about it, he would shoot them a death glare that sent shivers down their spine. Finally Elena had taken his hand and asked him what was wrong; apparently, ever since airplanes were invented, he was terrified of them. He only used them when he absolutely had to; the idea of something that large staying suspended in midair still made no sense to him, and he was always terrified that the plane would crash, and he would end up stranded on an island somewhere with no blood. Or worse; stranded on some island somewhere with only bunnies and Bambi's mom to eat. The Stefan diet? No thank you.

Elena had been unable to believe it. The great Damon Salvatore, who feared nothing… was afraid of being in a plane crash. Of course, she felt sympathetic for him; for years, she had had the exact same feelings; minus the blood, obviously. Needless to say, Damon had all but kissed the solid ground when they were finally off the plane. After crashing in a hotel for a few hours, they rented a car and set out to find Klaus and Caroline's, correction, _their _villa, located somewhere in the country side outside of Paris. Now that they found it, both were a bit stunned. Damon had stayed in numerous fancy villas and owned numerous manors, but _this; _this was madness. It was exactly as they had described it and more. Somehow in her explaining of the place, Caroline had left out the massive rose garden, the private lake behind the house, and the balconies in nearly every room. It was gorgeous; and it was theirs. Elena simply couldn't believe it. She got out of the sleek black BMW and eyed the house in shock.

"You're sure this is the place?" Elena asked as Damon got out after her. He shrugged, "Only one way to find out."

He walked up to the front door and pulled the key he had received out of his pocket, slipping it into the lock on the white French doors with frosted windows. The click when it turned seemed too good to be true, and Damon opened the door. "Holy shit," Damon muttered as he walked into the house. Elena followed him, lapsing into speechlessness. The floors were tiled with white and cherry red waxed flooring tiles, and there was a positively huge white spiral staircase leading up to the second floor, with black wrought iron railings that wound in the shape of roses. Black roses; a flower Damon secretly coveted.

Elena rushed through the entrance hall to the massive kitchen, her eyes wide. In the center was a blue marble island with every cooking utensil ever invented, and there was a fully stocked refrigerator, complete with numerous blood bags. Damon grinned as he looked around. "Dinner's gonna taste good coming from in here," he grinned at her and Elena's stomach all but growled at just the idea of what Damon would make her. A thought suddenly struck Elena; there was one thing Caroline had endlessly raved about; the pool. The pale pink marble pool with its adjoining hot tub and waterfall. She had to see it. _Now. _

She walked out of the kitchen, Damon following in pursuit. She walked up to a set of French doors, this time with stain glass windows, and opened them, her eyes widening as she shook her head, walking forward in a daze. It was exactly how Caroline had described it. It was gorgeous. Not to mention, with its pool lights, it would be extremely romantic at night one a few candles had been lit…

Elena blushed at the ideas forming in her mind, and Damon grinned. "Now this; this is the standards I'm used to. Not crappy boarding houses in Mystic Falls without a freaking pool."

Elena grinned at him. "So, Mr. Salvatore; are we using separate rooms, or do you want to share?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You're honestly asking me that question? I think it should be up to you, since my answer is obvious and probably differs from yours."

She walked up to him, grinning. "Yes, it is obvious," she agreed, and then fluttered her lashes and snaked her arms around his chest, "But who says it differs from mine?"

"Oh?" he asked, grinning.

She grinned back, her breath warm in his ear as she leaned close to whisper, "I say we share."

Damon chuckled, his hands on her hips. He kissed her temple and she grinned. "I'll get the bags, you pick the room," he purred in her ear. The next thing Elena knew, she was standing by herself, the only noise the trickling of the waterfall running into the pool behind her. Elena sighed and walked back into the house, shutting the doors behind her and heading up the stairs. She glanced in surprise at the two long hallways that greeted her on both sides; each had to have at least twenty rooms. Elena sighed, deciding to check them all in order to find the perfect one. Of course, nearly an hour later, she found it; the last room she checked. She had been wondering where Damon was, and grinned when she found him lounging on the bed with his hands behind his head. "I see you finally found it," he grinned, and Elena noticed he had begun to unpack. It was true; their minds thought so alike now that it was scary. The room was the simplest of them all, being the only room with plain white walls, a black, silk bedspread with fluffy white pillows, and red roses in crystal vases on every surface. It was a gorgeous room with an on suite bathroom, and Damon's perfect form lounging on the very inviting, plushy bed completed the picture of perfection in Elena's eyes. She grinned and walked over, flopping onto the bed and rolling on top of him. "It's perfect," she smiled and he grinned, running his fingers through her brown locks. He smiled and pulled her down for a long, sweet kiss. When he pulled away he was grinning. "A pool, an enormous kitchen, and the perfect bedroom… maybe Klaus doesn't have such terrible taste, after all."

Elena giggled and sat up, smiling at him. "Could we go into the city? I really want to see…"

"Everything?" Damon offered up, grinning and Elena sheepishly nodded, blushing. "Well," she put in, "it isn't my fault that you've been here… how many times, exactly?"

"Thirty-two, not counting this," he said, grinning. Elena smiled and shook her head, standing up and offering her hand to him. He accepted and followed her out the door and back down the stairs. He opened her car door for her, gesturing her inside, "Votre char attend, ma chérie."

Elena giggled. "You speak French?"

He nodded as she got in and he shut her door behind her. He couldn't help but bite his lip at how little Elena really knew about his past. About his family. Well, perhaps this was the perfect time to… educate her.

… . … . … . … . …

When they arrived in the city, Damon parked the car and insisted that they walk. That was the only way she would really experience Paris, he informed her. Of course, she obliged; how could she not? He was her ride home.

As they began to walk up the crowded, shop filled streets, Damon reached down and laced his fingers through hers. Elena raised an eyebrow at him when he did so, smiling. He shrugged, "It's the city of love, Elena; a young couple can't just walk beside each other."

Elena laughed. "The last time I checked you, Mr. Salvatore, were not _young._"

"What," he pretended to be offended, "you don't want me to hold your hand?"

"No," she gave his a reassuring squeeze, "I'm perfectly fine with it."

"Good; I wasn't going to let go, anyway."

Elena laughed; he was so predictable. But she loved him for it. Heck, she loved everything about him. She still couldn't get over the irony that, after all this time, she had ended up with Damon. After swearing to herself and everyone else that she would always love Stefan, she still ended up with Damon. It was ironic, but believable. Everyone but her had seen it coming. Except, maybe, Damon himself.

"So; where are you taking me first?" Elena asked, smiling.

Damon looked down at her. "Have you ever read _The Hunchback of Notre Dame _by Victor Hugo?"

Elena blushed a bit, biting her lip. "I never read the book… but I watched the Disney movie."

Damon laughed. "Why am I not surprised?"

She slapped his arm, grinning. "Shut up."

He chuckled. "Well, if you've read the book, _or watched the Disney movie, _you'll know that Notre Dame Cathedral is located in…"

"Paris," Elena nodded, suddenly remembering. She smiled at him. "You want to go?"

He shrugged. "I've only ever been alone; it would be nice to see it with someone to talk to about it."

Elena grinned as they continued to walk. "Well, Mr. Salvatore, you'll have to tell me about the way the story is supposed to go, since I'm sure Disney changed a few details."

Damon grinned. "Now, why would I do that when you can read the book yourself?"

Elena raised an eyebrow. "How am I supposed to do that?"

Damon shrugged. "I may or may not have a first edition copy that my mother gave me."

Elena's eyes widened. "You have a first edition copy of _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_?"

Damon nodded. "Published in 1831, in French. Technically the title is _Notre-Dame de Paris._"

Elena smiled, shaking her head in disbelief; when she first met him, she would have never expected Damon to be the type of guy who frequently read classic literature, let alone had original copies of books such as _Gone with the Wind, _and _Wuthering Heights. _But he never ceased to surprise her with his little quirks; it was one of the things she loved about him.

"Well," Damon asked, "do you want to go?"

Elena nodded, "Absolutely."

_**I'm really sorry that this is so short; I've been busy working on a few other stories and haven't had a lot of time to write, and I couldn't really figure out what to do next with this story; but now I have a few great ideas, and I promise the next few chapters will be longer! Delena in La Ville de L'amour? I think there are quite a few possibilities of what they could do. Speaking of which, I don't know a lot of Paris' big attractions, so if anyone has a suggestion, put it in a review or PM me! Thank you for reading, and remember to review!-Charlie'sLostVampire**_

_**Oh! Did anyone catch the little reference to the Vampire Diaries book series by L.J. Smith? If you've read them, you'll know that Damon actually did want to find a perfect, black rose; I thought it would be kind of fun to stick a little piece of the books in there. ;) **_


	10. Seductive Esmeralda

_**A/N: I finally updated guys! Just a warning in advance; the end of this chapter is VERY smutty. Not to mention, it's my first attempt at real smut so if it sucks, I'm sorry… But I hope you all like it! You can thank DamonsBourbon for my inspiration; she convinced me to keep writing!- Charlie'sLostVampire**_

Elena gaped, open mouthed, at the huge cathedral that towered before her. With its enormous bell tower and slightly startling gargoyles, the place had a somewhat fairy tale like quality to it. Then again, that could just be the Disney talking; because, in all honesty, in the red sunlight from the setting sun, the shadows being cast off the monster like statues above was… well, _scary. _

"Are we going inside?" Elena asked, suddenly not wanting to be near the stone beasts. She knew it was foolish; she was here with a vampire, because a hybrid had given them a villa, and yet still she found inanimate, stone creatures intimidating?

Damon grinned. "Actually, I had a better idea," he said with a chuckle. Elena raised an eyebrow. "What," she inquired, "are we just going to stand here and look at it?"

He grinned deviously at her. "Now, Elena; you'd think you would know by now that subtlety isn't my style."

She frowned, slightly confused. "What do you mean…?"

Her question trailed off into a startled squeak when he suddenly scooped her up and leapt into the air with vampiric talent, landing on one of the high balconies of the church. She gasped when she realized how high up they were and clutched tightly to his neck, burying her face in his shirt. Damon laughed and hopped down onto the inside of the balcony, setting her down on her feet on the cold stone. She stumbled a bit and fell forward, tossing her arms around his neck yet again. He caught her around the waist, their noses touching, wide eyes locked. "Careful," he mumbled, grinning slightly. Elena blushed and pulled back, pulling at her hair in embarrassment. "Sorry," she muttered, "I guess I was… off balance."

He chuckled. "Understandable; some people can't handle jumping like that." He winked, "Not to mention my charm made you weak in the knees."

She rolled her eyes at his inability to be serious, swatting his arm. He laughed and took her hand. "Come on, Esmeralda," he winked, "let me show you my bell tower."

"Oh, please," Elena grinned, "you're far too sexy to be Quasimodo."

He grinned and took her hand, leading her into the church and over to a tall spiral stone staircase. She giggled. "Are you sure we're supposed to be up here this late?"

Damon grinned. "I'm _positive _that we aren't," he said with a wink, pulling her up the nearly endless set of stairs. They finally emerged on a very open top floor with glassless windows that overlooked the city. There were numerous gargoyles laid out across the stone floor, and even more out on the ledge. Elena gulped a bit, looking away from one particularly menacing face with sharp, pointed horns and fangs that reached down to the winged beast's clawed elbows.

Damon noticed her sudden shift in emotion and he frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Elena said quickly, blushing. "It's nothing…"

He raised a skeptical eyebrow, leading her across the open floor plan to the row of windows. Elena's eyes widened at the sight; the sky was ablaze with a brilliant sunset, turning it deep red as the sun sank below the horizon. "It's… beautiful," she whispered in awe. Damon grinned as he stood behind her and brushed her hair over one shoulder, placing a soft kiss to her neck. "Not as beautiful as you…" he whispered against her skin and she shivered, grinning. "Coming from anyone else, that would have been cheesy," she giggled. He grinned and laid his head on her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "I'm not capable of being cheesy," he said with a grin and she giggled again.

"Come on," he said suddenly, releasing her and walking over to one of the larger windows. Elena followed him, frowning. "What?" she asked, and her eyes widened when Damon stepped up onto the ledge and jumped down, landing on the thin strip of stone below the windows; the hard paved ground 228 feet below. "Are you crazy?" she squeaked when he peaked back inside at her. He grinned. "I'm a vampire, Elena; even if I fall, nothing will happen to me." He offered her his hand, smiling at her. "Come on; live a little!"

"If living a little means I'm going to _die, _I think I'm fine here!" she said, her voice still containing a nervous squeak. He sighed and shook his head. "I won't let you fall, 'Lena," he grinned. "Stake my heart and hope to die."

She rolled her eyes, but took a few steps forward. She trusted Damon, didn't she? She knew he would never, ever let her fall. But still; _it was so high!_

He smiled and took her hand. "There's a good princess," he said, helping her step onto the window ledge. She allowed herself a grin, "If I remember correctly, Esmeralda was a gypsy girl, not a princess."

He smirked devilishly. "Fine by me; I wouldn't mind seeing you dressed as a gypsy girl." He winked and helped her step down onto the thin ledge he stood on, and she diverted her eyes, refusing to look down. He smiled. "Come on, angel; it's just a little further."

She shook her head frantically, "If you think I'm moving a muscle on here, you're crazier than I thought you were."

Damon sighed. "Fine; you leave me no choice…"

"What…?" she had begun to ask when he suddenly swept her off her feet and into his arms. She gasped and bit back a shriek. "You psycho!" she cried, burying her face in his shirt so she wouldn't see just how high they really were. Damon chuckled and she felt him moving with cat like balance along the ledge. She kept her eyes shut until he finally stopped and sat her on her feet. She refused to open her eyes or let go of her firm hold on the fabric of his shirt; if she did either, she would surely fall faster than he could catch her.

"Open your eyes, princess," Damon purred in her ear and she slowly, very hesitantly opened one eye. Her other opened soon after as she marveled in awe at the beauty before her. In the nearly gone last rays of the sunlight, the sky now turning purple, stood numerous less frightening gargoyles, many with roses growing around them and in their fanged mouths. It was like looking into the face of hell and finding beauty; finding kindness in a fearsome monster. Her eyes involuntarily turned to the vampire who had a firm grip on her waist as he smiled down at her. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked her softly and she slowly nodded. _Like finding kindness in a fearsome monster, _she thought, a small grin pulling at her lips. Well, she certainly knew all about _that. _Perhaps the gargoyles weren't really so awful, but merely misinterpreted like vampires were. Perhaps they were meant to be a thing of beauty, but the stories had gotten turned around against them over the millenniums. Her smile widened. "It's amazing," she said, looking out at the city, the Eiffel Tower shining across the city, lights beginning to appear. He smiled and bent down, giving her a short, soft kiss. "We should be getting back," he whispered in her ear. "It's getting late."

She nodded and he picked her up, earning another terrified screech when he simply walked off the edge, plummeting to the ground below, landing gracefully; silently. "God you're crazy…" she whimpered, trying to catch her rapid breath. Damon chuckled as he placed a kiss to her temple. "Baby, you haven't seen anything yet…"

… . … . … . … . …

Elena sighed as they walked back into the enormous house. She promptly walked to the kitchen, pulling chocolate ice cream out of the fridge; she was starving, and wanted something filled with sugar. Damon grinned and snagged the container away. "Hey!" she complained. He chuckled. "You won't need that," he said, grinning. Elena frowned in confusion. "Why not?"

"Because," Damon said, his grin widening, "we're going swimming."

Elena's eyes widened; she had forgotten entirely about the pool. _How the hell had she forgotten about the pool…?_

She grinned. "Perfect idea," she said with a wink and he nodded as he lounged against a counter. "I thought so."

She giggled. "I'll go get changed; meet me at the pool in ten minutes?"

Damon winked and nodded, grinning. Elena then quickly rushed up the staircase and down the hall, entering their bedroom and shutting the door behind her. She chewed her lip and walked over to her suitcase, opening it and pulling out two different bathing suits. She knew that she was going to have to make a serious decision within the next ten minutes, and it wasn't just which bathing suit to wear. As she tried to decide between her regular black bikini and her new, rather skimpy red one, she knew she had to decide… was she ready to take her relationship was Damon to the next level?

She knew he loved her, and that he would never, ever leave her like Stefan had. But… was her heart as willing to trust as her mind was? She fingered the silky red material in her hands as she sat on the bed, thinking. Surely Damon's sudden eagerness to try the pool out wasn't just to go swimming. She knew he had other motives from the way he had been grinning when he brought it up.

_But was she ready?_

Elena ran her fingers through her hair, at war with herself. Part of her wanted, as it had for a _very _long time, for Damon to simply whisk through the door and slam her into the wall, peppering every inch of her body with his seductive kisses… Just thinking about it caused Elena to shiver with longing. But another part of her didn't feel ready for that finality of commitment. She couldn't just let Damon take her like that; not like she had let Stefan. She had given him everything she had, and he had broken her heart…

Leaving Damon to pick up the pieces. Repeatedly; for five years. More than five years, in all honesty…

Suddenly, Elena felt very stupid. Of course she wanted Damon; she knew he would never betray her like that. He cared about her, sometimes a bit too much, and had nearly killed Stefan just for trying to kiss her. Even the slightest idea of Damon leaving her simply because the sex wasn't satisfactory was ridiculous.

Tossing the black bathing suit aside, she entered the bathroom to prepare. Tonight, Damon wouldn't be the one with the power in the seduction area.

_Tonight, Elena Gilbert was taking charge. _

… . … . … . …

Damon lounged lazily on the edge of the pool which was glowing a brilliant blue from the pool lights in the dark yard. He was trailing his fingers around in the water, clad in only his swim trunks, waiting for Elena to return.

An involuntary smirk surfaced at the thought of her name; _Elena. _He wasn't sure how tonight would play out; Elena still seemed to need time to build a firm trust in him. He had made a silent promise to himself years ago now that he would never move in on Elena like that; she would have to make the first move, and he would need to feel confident that it was a move she truly wanted to make. If all she wanted to do was swim, as he had suggested, he would go along with it. But, if she wanted more…

He grinned slyly; _he would give her a night she would not soon forget. _

His ears perked up when he heard the distinct sound of her feet coming down the stairs inside. Grinning devilishly, he sped away to hide behind the pool shed. He heard her open the French doors and walk outside. "Damon? You didn't find a pretty French girl and desert me, did you?"

He grinned and sped out and jumped into the pool with an all mighty splash that he was certain had frightened her. He surfaced, laughing. "Here I am, ma chérie…" his words trailed off when he pushed his wet black hair out of his eyes, though, and the blue orbs he possessed widened in stunned shock. "Elena…" he muttered, looking her over.

She stood with her hands on her hips, grinning at him with a raised eyebrow. "You like?" she asked, turning in a slow circle to give him every possible view of her blood red string bikini. An involuntary growl of desire sounded in the back of Damon's throat as he looked her over hungrily. "Oh, I like…" he muttered, grinning. The bathing suit left very little to the imagination, and Damon was extremely fine with that. He noticed, once he looked away from the bathing suit, that she had redone her makeup, a bit thicker in the lashes with just a touch of red lip gloss, and her hair was more fluffed than she usually kept it. "Care to join me?" he grinned and she smirked. "I don't want to ruin my hair," she said with a playful pout. "Help me in so I don't have to go under water?"

He smirked and swam over to the edge, grabbing her waist and pulling her in. She squealed when the cold water came in contact with her flesh, and Damon grinned. "A little chilly, Miss Gilbert?"

She grinned suddenly, her arms wrapped around his neck. "Nothing I'm sure you can't cure…"

"Mm…" Damon grinned when she leaned closer and he took her lips in his, tightening his grip on her small waist. He pulled away after a few minutes to let her breath and grinned, tracing her cheek bone with his index finger. "Why the sudden need to get so dolled up?" he asked with a smirk. She grinned. "To impress you, of course."

Damon chuckled. "You could wear a paper bag and still impress me." His eyes suddenly lit up with mischief, "Actually, that's not a bad idea…"

She grinned and moved close to his ear. "Maybe next time…" she purred, her lips closing over his earlobe as she gently nibbled on it. Damon's grip tightened even more and he turned his head, taking her lips in his again hungrily. Elena responded quickly, deepening the kiss and wrapping her legs around his waist under the water. She gasped when she suddenly found her back pressed against the edge of the pool with Damon placing kiss after kiss down her throat, a hand on the back of her neck keeping her close to him, the other supporting her legs. She bit back a moan when he trailed the hand on her neck down her spine as he moved his lips back up to hers. She suddenly found the water around them unbearably hot and pulled away briefly, gasping. "The pool isn't the place to do this…" she said and Damon was out of the water in a flash, taking her with him. Seconds later she found herself being whisked up the staircase and down the hall, the door to their room flying open, and her back suddenly coming in contact with the soft fabric of their sheets. Damon was kissing her again; searing, passionate kissing. Kissing her like he hadn't done yet; kissing her in a way that made her pull him back every time he attempted to pull away.

He finally pulled away and gazed down into her brown eyes. "Do you trust me?" he asked, breathing heavily.

She frowned, a bit confused. "What…?"

"Do you trust that I'll never leave you?" he said, his hand cupping her cheek, and his gaze intense. She nodded. "Of course I do," she replied. Damon bent down a gave her another tension building kiss and then pulled back, kissing his way along her jaw line and up to her ear, placing a tender kiss to the soft spot beneath. "How far do you want me to go?" he whispered to her and she suppressed a moan at just the thought of what he was implying. It was what she wanted, wasn't it? What she had been planning for? The reason she wore the provocative bathing suit in the first place?

"Do your worst," she said in return and he smirked, continuing his trail of kisses once again. Elena gasped a bit this time, however, as Damon's kisses extended beyond her neck. He gave her another kiss and ran his finger down the soft skin in the center of her chest, wrapping an arm around her waist and beginning to move his kisses downward even more, along her chest and down her stomach. Elena sighed shakily as his kisses continued, lower, lower, lower…

"God, Damon…" she moaned as he repeatedly kissed just below her belly button. He smirked as he sensed her heightening desire for him to take her. He grinned and began to kiss his way up her body again, causing her to shift upward instinctively, and he took her lips in his once more, pulling at the thin strings at the back of her bathing suit. "How much do you like this?" he asked her, rubbing the fabric beneath his fingers. "It can be replaced," she said quickly, wishing he would hurry. His agonizingly slow flirtation was killing her. He grinned. "Perfect."

Elena gasped as she felt him rip away the top and toss the shredded remains across the room. She felt her cheeks flush bright red and he smirked, his hand trailing down her side and coming to a stop on her hip where the string to her bottom was. With an almost evil grin, he tore that away as well.

After that, it was mere seconds before Elena cried out in ecstasy, clutching Damon's shoulders tightly as he thrust within her, silencing her cry with a hungry kiss. She moaned, moving her hips in synchronization with his. He moved his lips to kiss her throat, and suddenly found his fangs extending. Even in her clear high on passion, Elena noticed the feeling of cool teeth brushing her skin. "Do it," she said, gasping when he thrust a bit harder. "Bite me!"

Damon took her invitation, sinking his fangs into her soft neck and gently drawing the blood from the double puncture wound, thrusting slowly, causing Elena to moan deliciously with pleasure. "Damon…" she got out in a husky tone, stroking his hair as he drank from her. "Oh, God!" she gasped when he thrust again, even harder, pulling away from her neck. She found herself looking up at his face, his eyes brilliant red and his lips smeared with her blood, fangs still extended. She pulled his lips back down to hers, slipping her tongue in his mouth and touching the pointed fangs. They cut the sensitive skin and she felt blood begin to ooze out. Damon moaned as the taste filled his mouth and deepened the kiss, quickening his thrusts. Elena gasped and pulled away slightly, licking her lips, her eyes burning with passion. Damon immediately pulled her back for another more heated kiss as he picked up his pace even more, sensing the drawing near of her climax. When it finally happened he pulled away from her lips, his arms giving out as she screamed his name, her nails digging into the back of his head as they knotted in his hair. Damon gave a shaky sigh, burying his face in her hair as she breathed heavily. "God…" she muttered, her grip relaxing slightly. Damon drew out of her and moved his head from its spot in her shoulder to look at her. He caressed her cheek bone, suddenly a bit nervous. "Too much?" he asked. Elena's eyes darkened with desire as she shook her head. "Not enough," she said and Damon grinned, kissing her yet again. This was going to be a _long _night…

_**Yes, no, maybe so? Remember to review, lovelies! 3**_


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